Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING AT TABLE ONE
The atmosphere inside the Gilded Cage contracted into a silent, volatile pressure chamber. Outside, the rain beat down with relentless force against the glass, but inside the private alcove, the only sound was the low, ragged breathing of the people surrounding the broken crystal on the floor.
Adrienne Sterling slowly stepped between the barrel of the drawn gun and the woman kneeling in the glass. His broad back shielded her from his own bodyguard, his eyes fixed on the man with the scarred jaw.
"Put the gun away, Miller," Adrienne said, his voice dropping into an icy, dangerous register that promised swift retribution. "You draw steel in front of my children again, and you won't leave this building alive."
The guard named Miller didn't lower the weapon immediately. His eyes flickered nervously between Adrienne's back and the brown-haired woman on the floor. "Sir... you don't understand... that's impossible. She was in the vehicle when the charge detonated at the marina two years ago. I saw the wreckage myself."
The Waitress felt a cold shockwave ripple through her chest. The marina. The fire. The blast. The words acted as keys turning in locked doors inside her head, opening brief, horrifying glimpses of twisting metal, cold salt water, and a blinding orange light before total darkness swallowed her consciousness.
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"You saw what you were paid to report, Miller," Adrienne said softly, his dark eyes narrowing as he calculated every variable in a fraction of a second. "And now I'm wondering who paid you."
With a swift, practiced movement, Adrienne reached out, grabbed Miller's wrist, and twisted it sharply downward. The black handgun clattered harmlessly onto the velvet seat of the booth. The two remaining bodyguards instantly seized Miller by his arms, locking him into place against the mahogany pillar.
