Chapter 8 - Shadow from the Corridor
The heavy pneumatic service door at the edge of the lobby swung open with a muffled click, breaking the heavy silence that enveloped the central bench.
Daniel Hayes emerged from the service corridor. His usually calm, professional face was remarkably tense. His stride was fast, heavy, and unusually hurried as he crossed the polished marble floor toward the central chandelier.
Roman did not turn his body, but his eyes tracked Daniel’s approach. He remained crouching in front of the little girl, his hand resting near her purple backpack on the velvet bench.
Daniel reached Roman’s side. He glanced down at the child for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes widening slightly as he registered the striking similarity between the girl’s pale gray eyes and those of his boss. Daniel quickly averted his gaze, leaning down low to whisper directly into Roman’s ear, keeping his voice beneath the threshold of human hearing for anyone else in the room.
He spoke three short, quietly devastating sentences—words that confirmed the dark operational mess buried in the hotel’s lower levels and revealed the shocking status of the woman Daniel had just gone to find.
Roman’s eyes snapped toward Daniel instantly.
May you like
The sudden movement was sharp, predatory, and filled with a volatile mix of rage and disbelief.
Daniel stepped back half a pace, his broad shoulders tight, visibly unsettled by what he had uncovered in the subterranean staff rooms—and even more unsettled by the catastrophic implications now hanging over the Carter family empire.
