Chapter 6 - Shadows on the Balcony
In the blacked-out apartment, the only illumination came from the storm outside, flashing cold silver across the minimalist furniture. Victoria’s security system was supposed to be completely unhackable, tied into a private generator housed within the building’s secure core. The sudden loss of power meant only one thing: someone had physically severed the local junction box. Victoria reached blindly across the coffee table, wrapping her fingers around Maya’s arm and dragging her silently toward the master study behind a heavy oak bookcase door.
""Stay down, do not make a sound,"" Victoria commanded in an urgent whisper. Maya nodded against the dark, clinging tightly to the soft fabric of Victoria’s blazer. From the expansive living area, the distinct sound of glass cracking echoed through the hall. Someone had scaled the exterior maintenance cradle and shattered the balcony slider. Victoria’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew how to negotiate multi-million-dollar acquisitions, but she had never held a weapon in her life. She reached into her desk drawer, finding only a heavy brass letter opener and her spare burner phone.
Footsteps moved across the living room hardwoods—slow, deliberate, and entirely unafraid. A faint red beam from a weapon-mounted laser sliced through the darkness beneath the study door. Victoria dialed her private security director with trembling fingers, pressing the phone to her ear. The line clicked, but instead of her trusted head of security, a rough, electronically altered voice came through the receiver: ""Hand the girl and the chip over, Mrs. Vance, or we start clearing this room floor by floor.""
