Chapter 2 - Lockdown at the Westchester Estate and the Ghost in the Security Feeds
By midnight, the Westchester estate had been transformed into an impenetrable
military outpost. Floodlights illuminated the sprawling manicured lawns, turning
the misty night into harsh daylight. Guard dogs patrolled the perimeter fences,
their low barks vibrating through the thick reinforced window glass.
I sat on the edge of the twin bed in the housekeeper’s quarters, gently brushing
the curls away from Lily’s forehead. She was fast asleep, clutching her small
plush elephant, completely unaware that she had just derailed a
multimillion-dollar assassination plot.
A firm, rhythmic knock sounded against my door.
I stood up quickly, smoothed down my apron, and opened it. Marco Vance,
Dominic’s right-hand enforcer and head of family security for over fifteen
years, stood in the hallway. Behind him towered Dominic himself.
“Pack your bags, Nora,” Dominic ordered in a low, quiet tone.
Panic spiked in my chest. “Sir? Are you sending us away? I swear Lily won't say
a word to anyone—”
“You’re not leaving the estate,” Dominic interrupted, stepping past the
threshold into my small quarters. His commanding presence made the modest room
feel microscopic. “The staff wing has too many exterior access doors and blind
spots. You and Lily are moving to the master penthouse on the third floor,
directly across from my private suite.”
My eyes widened. “The family floor? Sir, the staff isn't permitted on the third
level without direct authorization. What will the household staff say?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “The household staff is currently being detained in the
lower ballroom for individual interrogation. Until I find out who let a killer
near my son’s food, everyone in this house is a suspect. Except you and your
daughter.”
He looked down at Lily, his expression softening for a fraction of a second
before the cold mask returned. “Marco, carry the girl. Nora, take only your
essentials. The rest will be brought up by security.”
Five minutes later, I found myself walking onto the lavish, carpeted third
floor. The penthouse suite was larger than any home I had ever lived in,
featuring floor-to-ceiling bulletproof glass overlooking the dark Hudson River
valley, a roaring stone fireplace, and a king-sized canopy bed draped in
Egyptian cotton.
Marco gently laid Lily onto the bed, pulling the duvet over her shoulders. She
sighed softly in her sleep, burying her cheek into the pillow.
“Stay inside this room,” Dominic told me, turning at the doorway. “The lock on
this door requires biometric authorization. My thumbprint, or yours. Do not open
it for anyone else, regardless of what you hear.”
“Mr. Moretti,” I called out before he could leave. “Did the cameras see him? The
man with the silver box?”
Dominic paused, his knuckles whitening against the doorframe. “The server room
on the ground floor suffered an intentional twelve-minute power loop at
exactly 4:30 PM. The service corridor cameras were frozen on a still frame.”
May you like
My breath caught in my throat. “A power loop? That requires internal
administrative clearance.”
“Exactly,” Dominic murmured, his voice laced with venomous promise. “Which means
the person who tried to murder my son had the keys to my kingdom. And when I
find him, he will wish he had never been born.”
