Chapter 5 - The Shadow in the Garden
Outside, a sudden heavy desert rainstorm lashed against the glass windows of the mansion.
Inside the master suite, the backup generator kicked in within three seconds, bathing the room in a dim, red emergency light.
Damon instantly drew a custom black pistol from his shoulder holster, stepping smoothly between the door and where Selena stood over sleeping Ruby. Marcus drew his own weapon, positioning himself near the balcony doors.
"Perimeter Team, report," Marcus barked into his earpiece.
Static crackled over the receiver, followed by a tense voice. "Chief... primary power line at the east gate was severed. We have two unidentified vehicles parked at the treeline near the west gardens."
"Hold your positions and lock the inner courtyard," Marcus ordered.
Damon turned to Selena. His tall, broad frame was imposing in the red glow, but his dark eyes held an absolute, protective calm. "Stay in this room with Ruby. Lock the door behind us and do not open it for anyone unless you hear my voice."
"Damon... please be careful," Selena whispered, her hand instinctively touching his arm.
Damon looked down at her small hand against his sleeve, offering her a quiet, reassuring nod. "Nobody touches my family, Selena. Not in this house."
Damon and Marcus stepped out into the carpeted hallway, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind them.
They took the private service stairs down to the subterranean holding wing where Caleb Ross was being kept under guard. The concrete hallway was cold, illuminated only by crimson emergency lamps.
As they reached the heavy iron door of the cell, they found the two guards stationed outside kneeling on the floor, dazed but uninjured from a stun device. The cell door stood wide open.
Caleb Ross was gone.
"He had help," Marcus said, examining the electronic lock which had been fried from the inside using a high-frequency bypass tool—a military-grade device only available to high-level syndicate hitmen.
"He didn't run to the gate," Damon said calmly, looking down at the damp boot prints on the concrete floor leading toward the east elevator. "He’s trying to reach my private study on the second floor. He needs the physical hard drives before he flees."
Damon and Marcus moved up the rear service stairs like silent shadows.
In the second-floor study, the rain hammered against the floor-to-ceiling glass doors overlooking the garden. A dark figure dressed in a charcoal raincoat was standing behind Damon’s mahogany desk, frantically plugging a handheld decryption device into the wall safe behind the silver picture frame.
Damon stepped into the room, his heavy leather shoes making no sound against the thick rug.
"Looking for these, Caleb?" Damon asked smoothly.
Caleb spun around in absolute panic, dropping his decryption tool onto the floor. The dim red light reflected off his pale, sweat-slicked face.
"Damon!" Caleb gasped, reaching into his coat pocket.
Before Caleb could pull a weapon, Marcus stepped out from the shadows near the doorway, raising his sidearm with military precision. "Hands on your head. Now."
Caleb slowly raised his shaking hands, backing up against the wall safe. "Damon... you don't understand! Victor Vance forced me into this! If I didn't help him clear the server logs tonight, he threatened to eliminate my family in Chicago!"
"You killed Mateo Castillo three years ago, Caleb," Damon said, his low voice echoing with terrifying weight. "Did Victor force you to cut the hydraulic line on his crane, too?"
Caleb’s eyes widened in horror. "I... I didn't want him to die! Mateo caught me downloading the manifest logs at the harbor! He threatened to tell you! I just wanted to scare him!"
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A soft creak echoed from the balcony doors behind the desk.
Through the rain-streaked glass, a tall figure in a heavy black coat holding a silenced weapon stepped out onto the balcony, aiming directly at the back of Damon’s head.
