Chapter 24 - A Vow in the Storm
Nathaniel’s hand tightened slightly against Rose’s waist as the music ended. Keeping his expression masked in charming nonchalance, he leaned down to whisper near her ear. "Marcus has an alert. Walk with me to the garden terrace."
Rose maintained her composure, nodding gracefully to a group of applauding ambassadors as Nathaniel guided her through the tall arched glass doors into the secluded winter conservatory. The heavy glass muffled the orchestra, replacing the music with the steady tap of freezing drizzle against the skylights.
Marcus slipped through the doors behind them, locking the deadbolts.
"Report," Nathaniel said, the warmth instantly vanishing from his voice.
"Sir, we have a catastrophic transport breach," Marcus said grimly. "Forty minutes ago, the federal convoy transporting Victoria Thorne to the maximum-security detention facility was ambushed on Highway 9."
Rose’s breath caught in her throat. "Arthur is dead! Who could have ambushed a federal convoy?"
"A private paramilitary contractor," Marcus replied, pulling up a tablet displaying satellite surveillance footage. The screen showed an overturned armored van engulfed in flames, surrounded by smoke and bullet casings. "Victoria didn't escape alone. She was extracted by elite operators. High-grade weaponry, military precision. They left twelve federal marshals dead."
"The Obsidian Circle," Nathaniel snarled, his fist slamming into an ornamental marble pedestal. "Arthur wasn't the head of the snake. He was just the public face."
"There’s more," Marcus added, his voice dropping an octave. "The surveillance cameras at the perimeter of the hotel just blinked out. All twelve outer feeds went into an infinite loop three minutes ago. Someone cut our landlines. We are in a sealed blind spot."
Suddenly, the crystal chandeliers throughout the entire hotel flickered once, twice—and died.
A deafening pop echoed through the structure as the main power grid blew out. Emergency crimson lights hummed to life along the baseboards, bathing the conservatory in a sinister, bloody glow.
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From the grand ballroom, high-pitched screams began to echo as hundreds of terrified guests realized they were trapped in the dark.
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