Chapter 8 - The Decoy
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At 2:40 PM, Elena stepped out of a black town car in front of the towering Crane Enterprises skyscraper in downtown Boston.
She wasn't wearing her cleaning clothes. She wore a sharp, tailored navy suit Dominic had ordered for her, her hair pulled back into a sleek, professional bun. She looked like an executive, but her heart was pounding a frantic, terrifying rhythm against her ribs.
She took a deep breath, clutching a leather portfolio, and walked through the revolving glass doors.
The lobby was massive, filled with bustling corporate employees and imposing security guards in dark suits. She spotted four men scattered around the lobby who didn't look like bankers. They were Silas’s men, casually reading newspapers or checking their phones, keeping their eyes locked on her.
Elena walked directly to the main security desk.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" the guard asked politely.
"I need to speak with Marcus Crane immediately," Elena said, pitching her voice slightly louder than necessary. "It concerns the South Boston property on Elm Street. Tell him Elena is here."
The guard frowned, checking his computer. "Mr. Crane is preparing for an emergency board meeting. He isn't taking unscheduled appointments."
"Tell him I was in the basement," Elena demanded, leaning over the desk. "Tell him I saw exactly what he left down there."
The guard’s demeanor instantly shifted. He picked up his radio, turning away slightly to whisper into it.
Within thirty seconds, the atmosphere in the lobby changed. Three massive security guards detached themselves from the executive elevator banks and marched rapidly toward the front desk.
"Ma'am, you need to come with us," the largest guard ordered, reaching out to grab her arm.
"Don't touch me," Elena snapped, stepping back.
Before the guard could aggressively pursue her, two of Silas’s men materialized from the crowd, stepping smoothly between Elena and Marcus's security team.
"Is there a problem here?" one of Silas's men asked, his hand casually resting inside his jacket.
"Back off," Marcus's guard warned, realizing he was suddenly facing professional opposition.
The standoff in the lobby was tense, loud, and entirely consuming the attention of the building's security apparatus. The distraction was perfect.
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Unnoticed in the chaos, Dominic and Silas slipped through a side service door, bypassing the metal detectors and stepping seamlessly into the now-unguarded private executive elevator.
Dominic swiped a master keycard he had kept hidden in his shoe. The doors slid shut, carrying the rightful king up to his throne.
