Chapter 2 - The Lockdown Revealed a Secret No One Was Supposed to FindThe darkness lasted three seconds.
Only three.
But in those three seconds, the mansion changed.
I heard footsteps.
One pair.
Then another.
A metallic click.
Someone chambering a round.
Lorenzo grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind his desk.
“Stay down.”
Another shot shattered a vase in the hallway.
Glass exploded across the floor.
Lorenzo fired once.
A scream followed.
Then emergency lights came on.
Red.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
The mansion looked different beneath them.
Every corridor appeared like a warning.
Two guards rushed past.
One was bleeding from the shoulder.
“Sir!”
“Status.”
“Security team in the west wing engaged. We found one intruder.”
“One?”
The guard swallowed.
“That's what we thought.”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened.
“What happened?”
The guard looked at me.
Then back at Lorenzo.
“The intruder was already dead.”
Silence.
“What?”
“We found him inside the locked security corridor. He had been shot before our team reached him.”
Lorenzo stared at him.
“Then who fired at us?”
The guard didn't answer.
I knew why.
Because the answer was inside the house.
Lorenzo looked at me.
“Stay here.”
I grabbed his sleeve.
“No.”
He looked down at my hand.
I released him immediately.
“Sorry.”
“You were going to say something.”
“The hallway.”
“What about it?”
“The west corridor has cameras.”
“I know.”
“But the red emergency lights are on.”
“Yes.”
“So why aren't the cameras working?”
His expression sharpened.
For the first time, I saw genuine surprise.
He turned to the guard.
“Check the surveillance room.”
The guard rushed away.
I stood beside the desk.
“You noticed the cameras?”
“I've cleaned that corridor every morning for two years.”
Lorenzo studied me.
“You notice everything.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I remember everything.”
That seemed to unsettle him more.
Minutes later, the guard returned.
“Sir, surveillance has been partially disabled.”
“How?”
“Someone manually cut the feed from inside the control room.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
“Who had access?”
The guard hesitated.
“Eight people.”
“Names.”
“Thomas Gable. Vincent Hale. Marcus Bell. Adrian Cross. Security Chief Daniel Reed. Mrs. Gable. You. And—”
“Who?”
The guard looked at the floor.
“Norah Sullivan.”
I felt the room become colder.
Lorenzo slowly turned toward me.
“Apparently,” I said, “someone wants me blamed.”
His stare lingered.
Then he asked, “Where were you at six thirty?”
“The kitchen.”
“Anyone see you?”
“Dozens.”
“Anyone willing to lie for you?”
I almost laughed.
“No.”
Something moved in his expression.
Not pity.
Respect.
“You don't seem frightened.”
“I am.”
“You hide it well.”
“I've had practice.”
Before he could answer, the office door opened.
Mrs. Gable entered.
Her face was pale.
“Lorenzo.”
He turned.
“What?”
“Thomas is missing.”
The room went silent.
Lorenzo's voice became dangerously calm.
“Define missing.”
“He was supposed to bring your morning documents.”
“Where?”
“The valet room.”
“Was anyone there?”
She shook her head.
“I found blood on his desk.”
Lorenzo's eyes hardened.
“Find him.”
Mrs. Gable looked at me.
Then at Lorenzo.
“I think Norah knows more than she’s saying.”
My stomach dropped.
Lorenzo did not respond.
Mrs. Gable continued.
“She noticed Vincent's weapon before anyone else.”
“And?”
“She recognized the SUV signal.”
Lorenzo looked at me.
“You recognized it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I didn't answer.
His voice softened.
“Norah.”
I closed my eyes.
“My father.”
Lorenzo waited.
“My father worked private security. He dealt with organized crime before I understood what that meant.”
“What happened to him?”
“He died.”
“How?”
“Officially, a robbery.”
“Unofficially?”
I looked at the rain outside.
“He saw something he wasn't supposed to see.”
Lorenzo said nothing.
I continued.
“He kept notes. Signals. Vehicles. Routes.”
“Do you still have them?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because when he died, someone searched our apartment.”
Lorenzo's eyes sharpened.
“Someone?”
“I was seventeen.”
“You remember?”
“I remember the sound of my bedroom door opening.”
I swallowed.
“My sister was asleep beside me.”
A beat passed.
“They never found the notebook.”
Lorenzo looked thoughtful.
“Because?”
“Because I hid it.”
“Where?”
“Inside a vent.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No.”
“Who does?”
I looked at him.
“I don't know.”
That was the first lie I had told him.
Because I knew.
The notebook was inside Lily's hospital locker.
And it contained one name.
Rossi.
Before I could explain anything else, the emergency lights flickered.
Then the mansion intercom crackled.
A distorted voice spoke through every speaker.
“Lorenzo Rossi.”
Lorenzo looked toward the ceiling.
The voice continued.
“You trust the wrong people.”
A pause.
“Especially the girl who cleans your rooms.”
My heart stopped.
The voice laughed.
Then added—
“You've already lost.”
The intercom went dead.
Lorenzo looked at me.
Not suspiciously.
Something worse.
Personally.
“Norah,” he said quietly.
“Yes?”
“From this moment on, you don't leave my sight.”
My heart pounded.
“Why?”
“Because whoever is doing this doesn't want you dead yet.”
May you like
He stepped closer.
“They want you afraid.”
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