Chapter 7 - The Lockdown Protocol
Before Victor could respond, a deep, hydraulic thud reverberated through the mansion’s foundation. The heavy mahogany interior doors across the entire second floor snapped shut with magnetic precision. Steel shutters dropped smoothly over the panoramic windows, sealing out the thunderstorm and plunging the hallway into immediate darkness, illuminated only by the amber emergency strips embedded along the baseboards.
Victor lunged forward, dropping the folder as he grabbed Julian’s collar. ""What did you do?!""
Julian didn't flinch. In one swift, controlled movement, he pivoted his shoulder, breaking Victor’s grip with fluid efficiency while keeping Leo securely shielded against his chest. ""I built this house after Elena died, Victor. You think I’d leave the master controls on a single commercial server? The moment an unauthorized biometric scan accesses the vault, the residence transitions into evidentiary isolation.""
The woman in the gray suit dropped her briefcase onto the runner, her professional facade disintegrating. ""Victor, my transmitter just died. The cellular dampeners are active.""
""Shut it down, Julian!"" Clara screamed from the landing, her composure shattering once more as the reality of entrapment set in. ""The police will be here in twenty minutes! I already called the precinct before I came up the stairs!""
""Good,"" Julian replied, his voice echoing in the enclosed corridor. ""Then they will arrive to find a crime scene preserved under federal custody protocols. Every keystroke Victor made on my terminal, every forged document he removed from that safe, and the video recording of you striking an infant down the stairs are currently backing up to the Department of Justice field office.""
Victor’s face twisted into an expression of murderous desperation. He looked down at the floor, spotting the fallen manila envelope, then glanced at the emergency exit door at the end of the gallery. ""The auxiliary stairs,"" he muttered. ""The emergency release on the service stairs operates on manual mechanical levers.""
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Victor bolted toward the far corridor, shoving past the stunned attorney in gray. Clara turned instantly to follow him down the stairs, but Maya, moving with astonishing quickness, kicked Clara’s abandoned handbag directly between her feet.
Clara’s nude heels caught the leather strap. She stumbled violently, crashing down onto the landing with a cry of pain as her knee struck the sharp edge of the marble step. Julian did not spare her a glance. He took Maya by the hand and moved swiftly down the gallery toward his study, only to freeze when a sharp, metallic click echoed from the shadows behind his desk.
