Chapter 2 - Shadows of the PastThe heavy mahogany door of the study blew inward with a splintering crash, but Adrian was already moving with lethal, calculated precision. Despite the bullet wound in his side, he shoved Emma behind the heavy oak desk, drew a suppressed pistol from his shoulder holster, and fired twice through the settling dust.
Two men in tactical gear dropped before they could raise their weapons.
“Stay down,” Adrian ordered, his voice dropping instantly into the cold, commanding tone that terrified his enemies across the city.
Emma clutched the edge of the desk, her heart pounding against her ribs. This wasn't the upscale restaurant world of River North anymore; this was the brutal, hidden underworld that had swallowed her father’s life when she was just a child.
“We have to get out of here,” Emma called out over the ringing silence that followed the gunfire. “The back courtyard leads to the lake path. My car is parked three blocks away.”
Adrian looked at her, a bitter, grim smile touching his lips. “You think they only sent two men, Emma? The entire perimeter is locked down by Kessler’s security detail.”
“Then we use their distraction,” she replied, a sudden surge of adrenaline overriding her fear. She reached down, unbuckling her boots to slip them off silently, exactly how she used to move when sneaking around her father’s workshop. “George Kessler was at the table tonight because he’s laundering the exact same funds that tied into the Kingsley garage case. You have the ledger on your desk server, don't you?”
Adrian’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “How did you—?”
“My father’s notebook,” she snapped, her eyes flashing. “He kept records of every vehicle, every ring, every corrupt cop on their payroll. Now give me the encryption drive before they breach the other side of this room.”
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With a sharp nod, Adrian punched a hidden keystroke beneath the desk. A false panel clicked open, revealing a small, titanium drive. He handed it to her just as glass shattered overhead.
“Move!” Adrian grabbed her hand, pulling her toward a narrow service stairwell hidden behind a velvet tapestry, diving straight into the dark labyrinth beneath the mansion.
