Chapter 2: The Ghost Arrives
My knuckles were white against the steering wheel of the Maybach as we tore through the gates of Ravenshore.
When Harper called me, she sounded like a bird with a snapped wing. Harper Langford—the quiet, soft-spoken girl I’d been watching from the shadows for months, the one who looked too pure for a corrupt world like this. Hearing her bleed? Hearing her cry?
Something inside my chest, something violent and primal, unlocked.
"Sir, we’ve bypassed the perimeter security," my head of security, Viktor, said from the passenger seat, his laptop open. "Do we wait for the feds?"
"No," I barked, stepping out of the car before it even fully stopped. "We go in heavy."
Six of my men hit the front doors of the mansion with tactical rams. The heavy oak exploded inward, showering the grand ballroom with splinters. The three hundred guests in tuxedos and evening gowns shrieked, dropping their champagne glasses.
I walked into the ballroom, my heavy wool overcoat open, not caring that everyone in this room knew exactly who I was and what I was capable of. Senators stepped back. High-court judges turned pale.
"Grayson!" I roared, my voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. "Bring her out."
Grayson Langford appeared at the top of the grand staircase, sweating through his custom tuxedo. He tried to project a confident laugh, but his hands were shaking. "Dominic! What is the meaning of this? My daughter had a psychotic episode tonight, she's upstairs resting—"
"If she has one more scratch on her," I interrupted, my voice a deadly whisper that carried across the silent room, "I will burn this house down with everyone in it. Bring. Her. Down."
Celeste dragged Harper out into the light of the landing.
My heart stopped, then restarted with a dark, murderous rage. Harper was trembling, her dress torn, her beautiful face smeared with blood, her right hand cradled against her chest like a broken wing.
May you like
Grayson gripped her arm tightly, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Don’t bother calling him, sweetheart. He won't ruin his reputation for you."
I started walking up the stairs, one slow, terrifying step at a time. "Let go of her, Grayson. Now."
