: The Mor

and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Milo's ear with a ha

d the cold iron of the silenced pistol in

arning. He had his weapon leveled at Lorenzo's head, but he was standi

out inheritances and signatures while the real power sits on the floor in a

rting between the three men in the room. Silas was unconscious, Julian was moaning on the floor with two holes

He finally stood up, dwarfing the space

adle. Julian Vane was the broker who handled the transport. He was supposed to hide the child

ling cough. "I... I protec

ered to Julian for a

. You fed him lies. And now, you've brought the

lt the cold sweat on her neck. "I don't care about Naples. I don't c

hitect had a spine. But look around you, Elara. The house is surrounded. My men are i

weight, his eyes cut

ting rhythmic, bloody shadows across the white foa

the one paying their offshore b

ian, seeing the brief flash of shock in his eyes before he masked it with ic

" Lorenzo said, reachin

een was black, but the internal hardware was still humming. "You want the Moretti legacy? You wan

hand inches from M

it for a miracle. "He initiated a digital dead-man's switch. The Thorne servers are linked to Milo's biometric signature. If he leaves this perimeter

d his eyes. "Yo

built the system. I'm the only one who can decouple the

will burn your entire organiz

point. Outside, the sound of a heavy heli

," Caspian whispered,

ce a mask of primal rage. He looked at Lorenzo, then at Elara. "That's the rest of the Thorne boar

e?" Elar

inheritance is a mess, they lose billions. They'd rather burn this hous

shattered. Not from a bullet, but from a flashbang grena

eyes!" Cas

lo, wrapping her body around him as the explosion rocked the f

he heard the rhythmic *thud-thud-t

screaming, his hand grabbing El

er shoulder. They scrambled through the foam, slippin

tering a spice jar on the counter. Red

his pistol barking back toward the shattered windows. He wasn't a partner, b

shoved them into the

oor and sliding the bolt just as a hail of bullets slammed in

ss, the air smelling of d

ted, her hands shaking as she

e," Milo

op of the stairs. He had crawled in behin

ll tactical light. The beam cut through the

was mi

asked, her heart le

e is S

r. "He didn't make it in.

checking the magazine of his pistol. "He's go

id. "The cellar isn't in the original bl

ng at the ceiling as the sound of bo

nfire stopped. The shouting stopped. The only soun

com on the cell

o l

e sounded calm. Too calm. "I found your little dead-man

red at th

move the biometric source. I have a thermobaric charge set against the c

an yelled at the spea

irty seconds to push the boy out the laundry chute. If he's in the basket in the next

hute at the back of the cellar. It was the only way out, a

un pointed at the chute. "I'll kil

t, we all burn

ark hole of the chut

ed strangely old, his small face s

ispered. "I can

d at the tablet, then at the wiring running along

re you

him exactly what he

ain alcohol from the wine rack and a r

rag, her eyes locked

Elara," Silas'

o the bottle, lit it,

manual override for the gas line

the whole back of the

hind the concrete reinf

las counte

ped up to

hr

wo

row the bottl

ne

Instead, a soft "click"

door swung

Sienna. She was covered in soot, her expensive

ienna said, her voice trembling with a manic

at Elara, t

here's a third group. They just breached the north wall. They

Caspian

Elara with a lo

ress. Not the Thorne he

other question, a heavy thud shook the entire h

ew voice whispered from the

nd y