Chapter 22 - The Shadowed Delivery
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The following morning, a sleek black package arrived at the main security gate of Beacon Hill.
It wasn't delivered by courier or mail. A high-end drone dropped it directly onto the cobblestone guard post before disappearing into the morning cloud cover.
Marcus brought the box straight to Gabriel’s private study, bomb-squad technicians having already swept it for explosives.
Gabriel opened the heavy wooden box. Inside, resting on red velvet, was a single chess piece carved from polished black obsidian: a Queen.
Harper walked into the study just as Gabriel picked up the black piece. She caught the dark, lethal expression on his face before he could mask it.
"Gabriel?" she asked softly, stepping closer.
"What is that?"
Gabriel closed his palm over the chess piece, turning to her with a seamless, practiced smile.
"Just business, sweetheart. Old rivals trying to make noise."
Harper looked at the open box, her sharp instincts picking up on the sudden shift in the room’s energy.
"Does this have something to do with the black SUV I saw parked down the street from Noah’s school yesterday?"
Gabriel froze. His eyes locked onto hers with sudden, terrifying intensity.
"You saw a black SUV near Noah’s school?"
"Yes," Harper said, her voice dropping into a tense whisper.
"Tinted windows. No front plate. Marcus’s guards chased it off, but... Gabriel, tell me the truth. Is Vance back?"
Gabriel walked over to her, taking her face in his hands.
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"Vance is nothing," Gabriel swore softly.
"Whoever is watching us, I will find them. And I will burn their world to ground."
