Chapter 6 - The Hunt in the Shadows
We mounted the stone stairs like shadows returning from the grave.
When we reached the top of the passage, the grand hall was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the high arched glass windows.
Down the long marble corridor near the main entrance, four men in heavy coats stood near the open double doors. Among them stood Grant Mercer, holding a heavy metal crowbar, and Caroline Wells, who was holding her four-million-dollar impressionist painting under her arm like a prized trophy.
"Where is the secondary key to the vault?" Caroline hissed at Grant, her expensive silk dress rustling against the marble floor. "My father's men are waiting at the gate!"
"It's in Adrian's private study desk!" Grant snapped back, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Keep your voice down! The house guards are stationed at the perimeter, but if they realize I've turned off the internal feeds—"
"They already know, Grant," Adrian’s voice echoed through the high marble gallery like thunder.
Grant spun around, his face turning instantly pale under the moonlight. The two armed enforcers beside him immediately reached inside their leather jackets for their sidearms.
POP. POP.
Two suppressed gunshots cut through the air.
Adrian’s shots were flawlessly precise. The two enforcers dropped their weapons, collapsing onto the marble floor, clutching their shoulders in agony.
Caroline screamed, dropping the four-million-dollar painting onto the floor, backing away toward the heavy oak exit doors in absolute terror.
Grant dropped his crowbar, his hands shaking violently as he raised them into the air. "Adrian! Please! It was Caroline’s father! He forced me into this! He had leverage on my gambling debts in Atlantic City!"
Adrian walked down the marble corridor, his black leather shoes making no sound against the stone. He stopped five feet from his cousin, keeping his weapon trained directly on Grant’s chest.
"You traded seventy years of our family's honor for gambling debts, Grant," Adrian said softly.
"I'm your blood, Adrian!" Grant whimpered, falling to his knees on the cold marble floor. "You can't kill your own blood!"
"No," Adrian agreed, his face completely devoid of mercy. "I won't kill you. But the Commission will when I hand them the logs of your stolen funds."
Adrian turned his head slightly toward the shadow behind him. "Nora. Call security override code 99 on the main hall intercom."
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I stepped up to the wall panel near the fireplace, pressed the emergency override button, and spoke clearly into the microphone. "Override Code 99. Perimeter security report to the grand gallery immediately."
Within ten seconds, heavy tactical boots thundered across the stone terrace outside.
