Chapter 2 - The Red Seal
Elena did not wait for an explanation. She scooped Mia deeper into her arms, keeping one hand cupped over the girl’s ear to shield her from the sharp clatter of urgent footsteps. Moving past the imposing grand piano, she ascended the curving floating staircase, the weight of the three-year-old reassuring and terrifying all at once. Behind her, the sharp tear of thick parchment breaking its seal echoed across the cavernous lower level.
The nursery was not an ordinary child’s sanctuary. While pastel murals and plush animals filled the room with simulated warmth, the outer perimeter was lined with reinforced ballistic glass and hidden deadbolts. Elena eased into the room, kicking the heavy inner door shut with her heel. She turned the biometric deadbolt, listening for the heavy mechanical thud of three titanium rods sinking into the frame.
Mia stirred, a sleepy whimper escaping her lips as Elena gently laid her on the low wooden bed. "Shh, sweet girl," Elena whispered, smoothing back a stray strand of light brown hair. "You’re safe. I’m right here."
Elena’s hands trembled as she pulled the blanket up to Mia’s chin. Who was Matteo Rossi really? The agency had simply classified him as an ultra-high-net-worth shipping magnate in need of strict discretion following the tragic hit-and-run death of his wife, Sophia. But normal shipping magnates didn't have armed guards in every foyer, nor did they receive bloodstained mail bearing Russian crests.
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A faint vibration buzzed in the pocket of Elena’s slacks. She pulled out her phone. A blocked number had sent a single image. Elena opened the screen and instantly felt the room tilt. It was a photograph taken ten minutes ago from across the street, showing the panoramic windows of the penthouse living room. Matteo was visible near the piano, but in the foreground of the picture was the unmistakable silhouette of a high-powered sniper rifle pointed directly at Elena’s back while she had been holding Mia.
Underneath the image was a text message: Leave the child in the nursery and unlock the balcony service entrance. Walk away, and you live. You have four minutes.
