Chapter 3 - The Warning
Victor stopped so sharply that the entire foyer seemed to freeze around him.
“Move,” he said, his voice a low, gravelly whisper that carried the weight of a loaded gun.
Emily’s knees turned to water, and her stomach clenched into a hard knot. Every instinct screamed at her to turn and run. But she forced her feet to stay planted, her chin lifting just an inch.
“Don’t get in the car.”
The foyer went completely dead silent. The grandfather clock in the corner ticked loudly, its heavy pendulum swinging through the stillness.
Victor’s slate-grey eyes locked onto hers with terrifying intensity. One of the security guards shifted his weight, his hand twitching toward his holster as if preparing to drag the insolent maid away.
Emily swallowed hard, her voice trembling but surprisingly clear. “There’s a bomb under the SUV. I heard Marcus Reed in the garage before six-thirty.”
Victor raised a single hand, and every man in the room instantly stopped moving.
Emily pressed forward, desperate to get the words out before her courage shattered. “He was with a younger man. They said it’s wired to a remote detonation, set for the second ignition cycle, and there are no traces.”
For the first time since she had entered his home three years ago, Victor Callaway looked at Emily Parker like he was truly seeing her for the very first time.
Outside, rain lashed violently against the mansion’s stained-glass windows. Somewhere below their feet, the black SUV sat in the underground garage like a polished steel coffin.
Victor’s expression shifted. The momentary surprise vanished, replaced by something infinitely colder, darker, and far more terrifying than anger.
He took one slow step closer, towering over her. “Are you sure?”
“I heard them,” Emily whispered, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. “I saw the man under the bumper.”
Victor didn't ask her why she was in the basement. He didn't question her motives. He turned instantly to his lead enforcer, Dominic Reyes, who had materialized from the hallway.
“Evacuate the perimeter. Pull the bomb squad from the North District precinct off the books. I want the vehicle cleared before the hour is out.”
Then Victor looked back at Emily. He reached into his inner suit pocket, pulled out a heavy black titanium keycard, and pressed it directly into her palm.
“Go to the third-floor secure suite. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone except me or Dominic.”
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“What about Marcus?” Emily asked.
A grim, humorless smile touched the corner of Victor’s mouth. “Marcus is about to discover what happens when you mistake a quiet house for an empty one.”
