Chapter 5 - The Shadow's Bargain
The damp smell of concrete and stale earth filled Liya’s lungs as she was shoved hard against a rough brick wall.
The emergency backup lights flickered far down the corridor, casting long, writhing shadows across the arched ceiling of the Moretti tunnels. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
"Don't move," a low voice commanded.
As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Liya made out the silhouette of her captor. It wasn't one of Vincent’s masked tactical thugs. It was Miller.
The driver stood blocking the exit path, his gun holstered, staring back toward the hidden door that led up to the mansion.
"Miller?" Liya whispered, her breath hitching. "What are you doing? Why did you pull me down here? We have to go back—Adrian is up there alone!"
Miller didn't look at her. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a burner phone, and dialed a single number.
"The package is secured," Miller spoke quietly into the receiver. A pause followed, the faint sound of murmuring on the other end of the line. Then Miller lowered the phone and finally turned his cold, professional eyes toward Liya.
"Mr. Moretti’s security detail was compromised three months ago," Miller said evenly, his tone devoid of any emotion. "Vincent didn't breach the front gate by accident. He had inside information on every camera angle in this house."
Liya’s stomach plummeted into an abyss. "You... you work for Vincent?"
"I work for whoever holds the ledger," Miller corrected smoothly. "And right now, Adrian is too compromised by his sudden attachment to a waitress to lead the syndicate effectively. The commission needs a change in management."
"Where is he?" Liya demanded, stepping forward despite the terror paralyzing her limbs. "If you hurt him—"
"He isn't dead yet," Miller interrupted, gesturing sharply for her to move down the remaining length of the tunnel toward an iron maintenance door that opened directly onto a hidden ravine behind the property. "Because Vincent wants him to watch the transition."
A sleek, unmarked black van waited with its engine idling in the mud outside the iron door. The back doors were already open.
Before Liya could turn to run back toward the stairs, two men stepped out from the shadows of the van, their grips iron-tight as they grabbed her arms and hoisted her off her feet, throwing her into the back of the vehicle.
May you like
As the heavy doors slammed shut, plunging the interior into absolute darkness, Miller leaned in through the front cabin partition, his face lit only by the dashboard glow.
"Tell Adrian," Miller said quietly as the van shifted into gear, "that if he wants to see you alive again, he has to surrender his seat on the board by midnight."
