Chapter 9: The Velvet Curtain and the Master's Gamble
"Step back into the server rack," Luca ordered in a sharp whisper, his hand moving instinctively to the tailored jacket where his sidearm rested.
I didn't argue. I slipped into the narrow gap between the humming metal towers and the damp stone wall, pulling the hem of my black-and-white uniform tight against my body to avoid casting a shadow. Through the narrow gap between the server cabinets, I watched Luca slide the heavy steel door half-closed, leaving just enough of a gap to observe the approaching corridor without being immediately seen.
The footsteps stopped right outside the server room.
"Boss?" A low, cautious voice called out. It belonged to Marcus, the head of security who had been sweating over the forged logbook hours earlier. His silhouette filled the doorway as he pushed the heavy steel door wide open, his hand hovering near the holster on his belt. "We secured the upper perimeter. Vanessa is contained in the study under heavy guard, but... we have a problem with the perimeter alarms on the west gate."
Luca stood calmly by the desk, his back casually resting against the formica edge as if he had been waiting there for hours. He didn't look at Marcus; his eyes remained fixed on the dead laptop screen.
"What kind of problem, Marcus?" Luca asked, his tone deceptively smooth.
"An external vehicle tripped the seismic sensors on the access road," Marcus replied, stepping further into the room, his eyes darting toward the disconnected ethernet cables and the open server racks. A flicker of tension crossed his face before he quickly masked it. "The guard at the gate lost visual feed for three minutes. By the time he reset the monitors, the vehicle was gone. It left a drop package near the trash receptacles."
"A drop package," Luca repeated, tilting his head slightly. "Interesting timing. Considering our dinner party was interrupted by an uninvited guest listening in through a transmitter taped under my chair."
Marcus swallowed hard, his hand pulling slightly away from his holster as he took another cautious step forward. "Sir, I checked the access logs you asked for. Julian's keycard hasn't been used since four o'clock. If there's a leak in the system, it has to be coming from outside the estate—maybe from the catering staff or the temporary agency that brought the new help in."
He paused, letting his gaze drift toward the dark corner of the server room where I was hiding. The air in my lungs felt trapped, heavy and hot. I gripped the burner phone in my pocket so hard the sharp edges of the plastic dug into my palm.
"You seem very eager to point fingers outward, Marcus," Luca said, his voice dropping into a register that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "Especially when you're the one who personally cleared the dining room staff before the dinner service began."
"I followed protocol," Marcus said defensively, his voice rising a fraction of an octave. "Just like I've done for ten years. If you're doubting my loyalty over a glitch in the server room—"
"I don't doubt your loyalty, Marcus," Luca interrupted smoothly, pushing off the desk and walking slowly toward the security chief. "I test it. And right now, your test results are failing."
Without warning, Luca's hand moved with blinding speed. He grabbed Marcus's wrist before the security chief could clear his holster, driving his palm upward with a sharp crack that echoed off the concrete walls. Marcus cried out as his service pistol dropped from his grip, clattering loudly against the hard floor. Before Marcus could recover, Luca swept his leg behind the security chief's knee, slamming him down hard against the cold concrete.
Marcus groaned, his face pressed against the floorboards as Luca placed the heel of his shoe firmly between his shoulder blades, pinning him in place.
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"Pick up the phone on the desk, Grace," Luca said without turning around, his eyes locked on the pinned man beneath him. "Call the exterior gate. Tell them to lock down every vehicle on the access road. Nobody leaves this property tonight."
I stepped out from the shadows of the server rack, my boots clicking softly against the concrete floor. My hands were steady as I walked over to the desk, picked up the secure terminal receiver, and dialed the gatehouse extension. As I spoke the words Luca had given me into the mouthpiece, I watched the heavy steel door swing fully open, casting a long, sharp line of light across the dark floor.
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