Chapter 47 - The Black Wooden Box
That footprint did not belong to Daniel, and it certainly wasn't mine. The tide had smoothed the surrounding sand, meaning the intruder had arrived from the direction of the ocean.
My defensive instincts flared instantly, wiping away any trace of relaxation. Daniel saw it too. He didn't say a word; he simply placed his coffee on the railing and stepped back inside. By the time I followed him in, he had already retrieved the handgun from under the coffee table, checking the magazine with the speed of a programmed machine.
"Stay here," Daniel ordered, his eyes flickering with that familiar, lethal coldness.
"We stand together, Daniel," I replied, walking toward the painting on the wall, shifting it aside to retrieve my own backup weapon.
We moved down the wooden stairs in absolute silence. Every sense was on high alert. When we reached the bottom step, we saw no one. The footprints ended right at the threshold.
However, placed neatly on the doormat was a small black wooden box. It had no label, no sender.
Daniel signaled for me to stay back. He carefully used the tip of his combat knife to nudge the lid open. There were no explosives. No tripwires. Inside the red velvet-lined box lay a stainless steel chess piece. A black Knight.
Daniel’s face instantly drained of color. His eyes went dark, and his breathing grew heavy.
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"Who is it?" I asked, a chill running down my spine.
"Kael," Daniel whispered, gripping the chess piece tightly. "He’s still alive."
