CHAPTER 7 – THE TRUTH IN THE DARK
CHAPTER 7 – THE TRUTH IN THE DARK
The baby's cry echoed through the mansion.
Once.
Twice.
Then it stopped.
Every light in Cross Manor had gone out.
Only the pale moonlight filtering through shattered windows illuminated the room.
Lucas spoke into his radio.
"No signal."
Another guard answered from somewhere down the hallway.
"They jammed every frequency!"
Damon's voice remained steady.
"Night protocol."
Immediately, emergency flashlights flickered on throughout the house.
Men moved into position with astonishing discipline.
No panic.
No shouting.
Just silent efficiency.
I knelt beside Victor Kane.
Blood soaked the hardwood floor beneath him.
He gripped my wrist with surprising strength.
"The recording..." he whispered.
"What recording?" I asked.
He coughed violently.
"In... Eleanor's music box..."
"Don't let Arthur..."
His words dissolved into blood.
Then...
His hand slipped from mine.
Victor Kane was gone.
Minutes later, Lucas returned.
"The baby's crying came from hidden speakers."
"A distraction."
"So where's the real attack?"
As if answering him—
An explosion rocked the east wing.
Smoke poured into the hallway.
Guards rushed toward the blast.
"No!" Damon shouted.
"It's another diversion!"
But it was too late.
Masked gunmen burst through a concealed service entrance on the opposite side of the mansion.
Gunfire erupted.
Glass exploded.
Furniture splintered.
The attackers weren't firing wildly.
They had one destination.
Me.
Damon stepped in front of me without hesitation.
"Stay behind me."
One attacker raised his weapon.
Before he could fire, Lucas tackled him to the floor.
The hallway erupted into chaos.
Within minutes, every intruder had been disarmed or captured.
Except one.
A man in black slipped through the confusion and reached me.
He grabbed my arm and pressed a knife against my stomach.
"Nobody move!"
Everything froze.
Even Damon.
The attacker's breathing was uneven.
His hands shook.
He wasn't a professional.
He was desperate.
"Back away!" he screamed.
"I'll kill the baby!"
Damon slowly raised his empty hands.
"What do you want?"
"Money."
"Protection."
"A helicopter."
Damon nodded calmly.
"You'll have all three."
Lucas looked stunned.
Damon never negotiated.
Not with kidnappers.
Not with assassins.
Not with anyone.
The attacker dragged me backward toward the front doors.
His knife dug painfully against my coat.
Then Damon spoke again.
"I have one question."
The attacker laughed nervously.
"What?"
"Who told you the child mattered more than the mother?"
The man frowned.
"What?"
"You've been lied to."
For just one second...
His attention shifted.
That second was enough.
I slammed my elbow backward into his ribs.
The knife slipped.
Lucas fired.
The bullet struck the attacker's shoulder.
He collapsed.
Damon reached me before I hit the floor.
His hands trembled as he searched for injuries.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head.
"No."
He rested his forehead against mine.
For the first time since I'd met him...
His composure broke.
"I almost lost you."
His voice cracked.
"I can't do that again."
I looked into his eyes.
"You've already lost people before."
He closed his eyes.
"My parents."
"My brother."
"My mentor."
"And for three months..."
"I thought I'd lost you too."
Tears filled my eyes.
Without thinking...
I reached up and kissed him.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't passionate.
It was relief.
When we finally pulled apart, Lucas cleared his throat.
"We have a problem."
One of the captured gunmen had confessed.
The attack wasn't ordered by Senator Caldwell.
It wasn't ordered by Victor Kane.
May you like
It had been ordered by someone neither of them expected.
Vanessa Caldwell.
