Chapter 5 - The Face Behind the Mask
The world narrowed to the dark circle of the rifle barrel and the heavy, metallic smell of gun oil.
Before Roman could pull the trigger, Gabriel moved with terrifying speed, lunging sideways and slamming his shoulder into the doorframe just as the intruder fired. A deafening crack shattered the quiet of the room, sending a cloud of white plaster raining down from the ceiling as a bullet embedded itself inches from Gabriel's head.
Declan returned fire instantly, two rapid shots hammering into the hallway wall, forcing the intruder to duck back behind the reinforced partition.
"Flank him!" Roman roared, shoving me hard behind the heavy oak desk. "Stay down, Maeve! So help me God, if you move—"
I didn't listen. While the three brothers surged forward into the hallway, trading gunfire and tactical commands in a language of violence I never knew existed, my eyes dropped to the floor near the threshold.
The intruder had dropped something when Gabriel tackled the doorframe.
It was a heavy, silver signet ring, stamped with the crest of the Falcone shipping corporation—the exact same ring worn by every senior executive on their board of directors.
I crawled across the rug, ignoring the ringing in my ears and the smell of cordite burning my throat, and snatched the ring off the hardwood floor. I slipped it into my pocket just as Roman backed into the room, his breathing ragged, his shirt sleeve torn and stained with a dark smear of blood.
"He's gone," Roman panted, pressing his hand against his side where a graze wound leaked dark red down his ribs. "The security team locked down the perimeter, but he slipped through the steam tunnels."
Gabriel and Declan rushed back in seconds later, both shaking their heads.
"Not an outsider," Declan cursed, kicking a piece of broken wood across the floor. "He knew the blind spots in the security cameras. He knew exactly which wire to cut to disable the alarm on the west wing."
Roman looked down at me, still crouched behind the desk, his expression a mix of fury and deep, agonizing worry. He reached down, grabbed my arm, and hauled me to my feet with gentle but irresistible force.
"Are you hit?" he demanded, scanning me for injuries.
"I'm fine," I said, pulling away slightly. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the heavy silver ring, and dropped it onto the mahogany desk between us.
The three brothers stared down at it. The silence in the room returned, heavier and deadlier than before.
"Where did you get that?" Gabriel asked, his voice dropping an octave.
"He dropped it when he came through the door," I replied, looking directly into Roman's eyes. "Your security grid wasn't breached by a stranger, Roman. One of your own business partners has the keys to this house. And based on what's carved into the inside of this band..." I leaned closer, pointing at the tiny initials stamped inside the metal. "...it belonged to the man who signed my mother's employment termination papers twenty-five years ago."
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Roman's face went completely bloodless.
"Uncle Vincent," Roman whispered. "He's been dead for a decade."
