Chapter 2 - The Security Audit
The silence inside the grand hallway felt heavier than stone. Every guest in the dining room sat motionless, sensing the sudden shift in temperature that always accompanied Rocco Moretti’s anger.
Rocco raised one hand, making a single, quiet gesture to his senior enforcers. Within seconds, four broad-shouldered guards stepped from the perimeter, blocking every exit from the main foyer.
"Caleb," Rocco said, his low voice carrying a quiet, lethal weight. "Step into the study."
Caleb Stone swallowed hard, his throat tight. He adjusted his charcoal suit jacket, attempting to maintain his disciplined composure, but his hands trembled slightly as he walked toward the double mahogany doors of the private office.
Rocco turned to Anna, his piercing blue eyes searching her face. "Bring your daughter inside."
Anna held Lily’s hand tightly, walking into the study behind him. The room smelled of old leather, cigar smoke, and expensive mahogany. Rocco set newborn Matteo gently into a plush leather armchair, wrapping the thick white blanket around him, before walking over to his massive oak desk.
He looked down at Caleb, who stood near the center of the Persian rug.
"You reported to me at seven o'clock that Matteo was locked in the master nursery," Rocco said, leaning his broad palms against the desk. "Ten minutes later, my son is found in a pantry by a four-year-old child. Explain it."
Caleb reached into his inner pocket, pulling out the second cream-colored form that Lily had spotted. His fingers were stiff as he laid it on the desk.
"Boss... I was running a perimeter audit," Caleb stammered, his usual calm authority cracking. "I found this second memo in the security office twenty minutes ago. Someone used an administrative clearance code to disable the floor sensors between the third floor and the service stairs."
"And why was it in your pocket instead of on my desk?" Rocco demanded, stepping around the desk, his massive frame towering over his security chief.
"I was trying to verify the clearance code first!" Caleb pleaded, backing up a half-step. "The code used on that memo belongs to your regional director in Detroit—Marcus Vance. I didn't want to raise a false alarm about a senior council member until I was certain!"
Anna stepped forward, her brown hair catching the lamplight. "That doesn't explain how the baby got to the pantry, Mr. Stone. If the floor sensors were disabled, someone physically carried Matteo down six flights of stairs."
Rocco looked at Anna, recognizing the sharp, analytical intelligence behind her calm demeanor. "Go on, Anna."
"The service stairs near the kitchen require a keycard scan," Anna explained, her voice controlled and precise. "My keycard was logged in the main kitchen folding linens at seven-fifteen. But if someone copied my username onto that cream memo, they needed a physical clearance card to bypass the heavy door."
Lily pulled on her mother's beige apron, looking up with big blue eyes. "Mommy, the man with the shiny shoes was by the door."
Rocco bent down, his intense gaze softening as he looked at the four-year-old girl. "Which man, Lily?"
Lily pointed toward the window overlooking the driveway, where a black luxury sedan sat idling under the streetlights. "The man who gave the papers to Mr. Caleb."
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Caleb’s jaw dropped. "She’s lying! I’ve been inside the estate all evening!"
Rocco stood up to his full height, his blue eyes flashing like dark diamonds. "Marcus," he commanded into his private wrist comms. "Lock down the Detroit sedan in the driveway. Search every vehicle leaving the estate."
