Chapter 6 - Shadows on the Lawn
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The rumble of engines outside grew deafening, vibrating through the concrete foundation of the estate.
Maya backed away from me, her eyes wide with sudden fear. "What is that? Who is out there?!"
She turned and sprinted up the basement stairs, her high heels clattering against the metal steps. The two maids hesitated for a moment before scrambling after her, leaving the heavy basement door wide open.
I dragged myself onto my side, using every ounce of strength left in my body to prop myself up against the damp stone wall.
Upstairs, shouting echoed down the long marble hallways, followed by the sound of heavy boots crashing through the front entry doors. Glass shattered. Alarms blared.
"Clear the west wing!" a stern, commanding voice shouted from above. "Secure the perimeter! Nobody leaves this property!"
Footsteps rushed down the basement stairs. But this time, it wasn't Julian's security team.
A tall man in a dark, custom-tailored suit descended into the gloom. He had silver hair swept back impeccably and sharp, piercing blue eyes. Behind him were six heavily armed men wearing unmarked black tactical gear.
The silver-haired man scanned the dark room until his eyes landed on my battered body propped against the wall. His stoic face cracked with immense sorrow.
He walked forward, dropping to one knee before me, unbothered by the dust and blood on the floor.
"Lady Victoria," he said, his voice deep and trembling with emotion. "Forgive me for taking so long."
I looked at his face, recognition washing over me through the blur of my pain. "Uncle Sal..."
"Old Sal" wasn't a tailor. He was Salvatore Rossi, the former head of the most powerful private intelligence network in North America—a man who had retired thirty years ago after making a blood oath to my father.
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Sal gently pulled off his silk jacket and wrapped it around my blood-soaked shoulders.
"Your father built my empire, Victoria," Sal whispered fiercely. "And today, we tear Julian Kensington's world to the ground."
