Chapter 4 - Blood in the Dark
The darkness swallowed the penthouse completely, broken only by the pulsing amber glow of the emergency evacuation lights along the baseboards. The screech of the lockdown sirens echoed violently against the high ceilings. High above the city, the storm raged on, lightning illuminating the vast room in violent, fractured strobes.
""Julian! Secure the main terminal!"" Gabriel yelled, springing back to his feet despite the tremor in his limbs. The revelation about his niece had shattered his grief, replaced instantly by lethal focus. ""Someone bypassed the sub-level grid!""
""I'm on it!"" Julian shouted back, his footsteps pounding toward the security room at the end of the east corridor.
Clara stood in the shadows, her breath shallow. Gabriel spun toward her in the strobing darkness, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her toward the reinforced private study. ""You're coming with me. If they're inside the building, you're a liability out here.""
""I can take care of myself, Mr. Cardenas,"" she insisted, trying to pry his fingers away.
""Quiet,"" he commanded, dragging her inside the study and kicking the heavy mahogany door shut behind them. He engaged the manual deadbolts. The room was bathed in the faint green glow of backup monitors. Gabriel rushed behind his massive desk, his fingers flying across the auxiliary keyboard, trying to restore surveillance camera feeds.
""Who took her?"" Clara asked, stepping toward the desk. ""If your niece survived that crash three years ago, why send that photo tonight?""
""Because tonight was the deadline for the board merger,"" Gabriel muttered, not looking up. ""Victor's shares in Cardenas Maritime were frozen upon his death, pending the probate of his estate. Tomorrow morning, those shares were set to transfer permanently to me. If Mia is alive, the legal guardian controls the majority vote.""
""And who becomes her guardian if you are dead?"" Clara whispered.
Gabriel’s fingers stopped over the keys. He slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes meeting hers in the dim green light. ""My uncle, Marcus. The man who urged me to hire an entirely new domestic staff last month.""
A chilling realization hung in the air. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Clara. The suspicion that had been brewing all night suddenly flared back with violent clarity.
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""The agency that sent you,"" Gabriel said, his voice deadly calm. ""It’s owned by a subsidiary of Marcus’s holding company. Isn't it?""
Before Clara could answer, the glass behind the desk shattered with a deafening blast. A grappling hook attached to high-tensile wire slammed into the oak bookshelf, and a masked figure dressed in black tactical gear swung through the broken window, weapon raised directly at Gabriel’s chest.
