Chapter 1 - The East Corridor
|
The east corridor of Ravenscliffe was wrapped in heavy shadows, untouched by the raucous celebration spilling from the ballroom below. Nell moved quietly over the Persian runners, her cleaning cart rolling with a faint squeak that sounded like a gunshot in the silence.
She checked her brass key ring, finding the heavy, jagged key Mrs. Croll had specifically handed her.
Rafe Santoro’s private study.
Nell’s heart hammered against her ribs as she slipped the key into the lock. It turned with a heavy, satisfying click.
She pushed the door open, slipping inside and pulling it shut behind her. The room smelled of rich leather, expensive bourbon, and the faint, lingering scent of citrus and smoke that always accompanied Rafe.
She was supposed to be emptying the trash and polishing the desk. But her eyes immediately darted toward the massive portrait of Rafe’s father hanging above the fireplace.
“Don't give it to anyone,” her father’s voice echoed in her mind.
Nell set her duster down and approached the fireplace. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the silver pendant resting against her collarbone. The scratch on the edge of the locket wasn't just a scratch.
It was a microscopic groove.
She reached out, running her fingers along the ornate wooden frame of the portrait. She felt a small, unnatural indentation near the bottom right corner.
Before she could press the pendant into the groove, the heavy brass doorknob rattled.
Nell gasped, instinctively dropping to her knees and sliding beneath the massive oak desk just as the study door swung open.
Heavy footsteps entered the room. It wasn't just one person. It was two.
“He’s distracted, I’m telling you,” a familiar, gravelly voice said.
Teddy Vain.
Nell pressed her hand over her mouth, her breath freezing in her lungs.
May you like
“Distracted isn't dead, Teddy,” Bruno Santoro’s voice replied, sharp and filled with venom. “And until Rafe is dead, those shipping routes belong to him. Do you have the men in place?”
“They’ll strike the warehouse at midnight,” Teddy promised.
