Chapter 2 - The Ghost in the Substation
"Marco! Marco, report!"
The voice belonging to one of the perimeter guards echoed through Marco’s open-line earpiece, laced with static and rising panic. "We've got movement on the northern fence line—system diagnostics are showing a localized frequency jamming—"
Before the guard could finish, a deafening explosion shattered the quiet night air of Lake Forest, shaking the reinforced glass windows of the second-floor nursery.
Instinct took over. In a fraction of a second, I moved, sweeping past Dr. Gable and grabbing Sophie by the waist, pulling her flush against my chest as I shoved Elena toward the heavy oak door.
"Down!" I roared.
The nursery lights flickered violently twice, then died completely, plunging the expansive room into pitch blackness. Emergency backup generators kicked in a second later, flooding the hallways and the nursery with a dull, sickly amber glow.
"Boss!" Marco shouted, already drawing his sidearm and positioning himself in front of the nursery entrance. "That wasn't a standard breach. That was an EMP pulse. They targeted the estate's primary power grid from the inside."
I looked down at Sophie. She hadn't screamed. She was calmly stroking the frayed hair of her button-eyed doll, her face entirely unbothered by the chaos.
"Inside?" I repeated, my mind racing through every security protocol, every background check, and every face of the forty-person staff living on my estate. "The system is air-gapped. No one can hit the primary grid without the master override code."
"Unless someone had the physical keycard," Marco muttered, tapping his earpiece. "The substation terminal requires a high-level administrator pass. Only two people on this property possess that clearance level: myself, and Calvin Mercer's replacement."
My blood ran cold. Calvin Mercer had been locked in my basement after exposing his treasonous embezzlement, but his administrative legacy—and his loyalists—evidently ran deeper than I realized.
"Secure the perimeter and lock down this floor," I commanded, handing Sophie gently to Elena, who was shaking so hard she could barely stand. "Elena, take the kids and the nannies into the reinforced panic room behind the master suite. Do not open the door for anyone unless I give the password."
"Mr. Moretti—" Elena choked out, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Go. Now."
As Elena scrambled down the hallway clutching Sophie and followed by the panicked nannies, Marco turned to me, his face grim.
May you like
"Boss, you have a visitor on the front drive," Marco said, staring at his tactical wrist tablet. "Sensors just picked up a single vehicle bypassing the front gates without tripping the alarms. A black Lincoln Continental. No plates."
I pulled my custom-engraved 9mm from my shoulder holster, checked the chamber with a sharp, metallic click, and slipped it into my belt. "Let's go greet our guest."
