Chapter 3 - Echoes of Betrayal
The heavy iron doors of my private estate slammed shut behind us,
sealing out the storm.
My team of senior lieutenants stood waiting in the marble foyer,
their faces grim,
their weapons prepared.
In the center of the room sat Viktor Petrov,
bound to a heavy oak chair,
surrounded by four armed guards.
Emily was taken upstairs to the guest suite by my trusted housekeeper,
Elena,
who immediately prepared a warm bath,
dry clothes,
and a soft bed for the child.
Once Emily was safe,
I walked down into the basement holding room where Viktor was being held.
I pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of him.
"You're going to tell me everything,
Viktor,"
I said,
my voice calm,
devoid of any emotion.
"Or I will give you to Dominic,
and you will pray for death within five minutes."
Viktor spat blood onto the concrete floor,
laughing bitterly.
"You think you're so smart,
Ross?
You spent a whole year looking for your ex-wife in Europe,
in South America,
following fake leads."
"Who fed me those leads?"
I asked,
leaning closer.
Viktor grinned wickedly.
"Your own inner circle,
Ross.
Someone close to you took a payout from Vance a long time ago.
They helped Vance pull off the kidnapping."
My eyes swept across the men standing in the room.
Dominic,
Julian,
Carter,
and Miller.
These were men I had trusted with my life for over a decade.
"Who was it?"
I asked softly.
Viktor shifted his gaze,
looking toward the corner of the room.
"Ask Miller,"
Viktor sneered.
"Ask him how much Vance paid him to redirect your search teams to London last spring."
Before anyone could react,
Miller drew his sidearm and aimed it directly at my head.
"Don't move!"
Miller yelled,
his face pale,
sweat pouring down his forehead.
"He offered me ten million dollars,
Sebastian!
Ten million!
You kept us on short reins,
giving us scraps while you built an empire!"
Dominic didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
A single suppressed gunshot rang out in the enclosed basement.
Thwip.
Miller gasped,
dropping his gun as a red spot bloomed in the center of his forehead.
He collapsed onto the floor,
lifeless.
Dominic lowered his weapon,
his hands unwavering,
his face dark with disgust.
"Traitor,"
Dominic spat,
stepping over Miller's body.
I stood up,
staring down at the man who had betrayed me,
feeling no pity,
only a cold clarity.
"Check Miller's phone,"
I ordered Dominic.
"Find out what coordinates he sent to Vance's team in the last hour."
Dominic pulled the device from Miller's pocket and tapped the screen quickly.
"Boss,"
Dominic said,
looking up with urgency.
"Miller sent a message to Vance's team five minutes before we caught Viktor.
Vance knows Lucas escaped into Sector 4.
He has three search teams sweeps the slaughterhouse drainage network right now."
"They want to kill the boy so he can't testify against Vance's human trafficking ring,"
Julian added,
checking the magazine of his rifle.
"Then we leave right now,"
I declared,
zipping up my tactical jacket and loading my weapon.
"No negotiations.
No prisoners.
May you like
Tonight,
Marcus Vance's empire ends."
