Chapter 3 - The Arrival of the Shadow
|
It didn't even take ten minutes.
Lena heard the low, synchronized growl of heavy engines rumbling up the driveway, vibrating through the concrete floor of the storage room. It sounded like a military convoy. Then came the shouting. The unmistakable crash of the heavy mahogany front doors being kicked off their hinges.
A man screamed—it sounded like one of Grant’s private security guards. Then came a dull, heavy thud against a wall.
The storage room door exploded inward, ripped entirely off its hinges.
A man in a sharp, charcoal-gray suit stepped into the room. He had silver hair, a jagged scar along his jawline, and the dead-eyed calmness of a professional killer. He holstered a heavy firearm beneath his jacket.
"Miss Brooks?" he asked, his voice unexpectedly gentle.
Lena tried to speak, but she was shivering violently from shock.
The man crouched beside her, assessing her leg. "I’m Marcus Vale. Your father sent me. He is right outside."
Marcus slid his arms carefully under her shoulders and knees. "This is going to hurt," he warned.
He lifted her. The world went entirely white with pain.
When her vision cleared, Marcus was carrying her into the grand foyer. The scene was breathtaking. Grant and Veronica were on their knees beneath the chandelier. Four massive men in tactical gear had weapons drawn, effectively holding the entire household hostage. Grant’s face was the color of ash.
Then, Elias Rowan walked through the shattered doorway.
He wore a dark overcoat, his silver-streaked hair swept back. He radiated a quiet, terrifying authority that sucked the oxygen from the room. He looked at Lena’s broken body, and a muscle feathered in his jaw.
"What the hell is this?" Grant stammered, terrified. "Who are you people?"
Elias didn't look at Grant. He walked over to Marcus, reached out, and gently touched Lena’s hair.
"My daughter," Elias said, his voice dropping the temperature in the room by ten degrees.
May you like
Veronica let out a strangled whimper. Grant’s eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated horror as he stared at the wife he thought was a nobody.
"Hospital. Now," Elias commanded. As they walked out, Elias finally turned to Grant. "Do not move from that spot. I am not done with you."
