Chapter 12 - Unmasked
Smoke and ringing silence filled the nursery.
Harrison coughed, rushing through the smoke toward Olivia and Ethan.
Olivia was huddled on the floor in the corner, holding Ethan tightly under her body to shield him from the blast.
"Are you okay?!" Harrison yelled, lifting them both up.
"We're fine! Ethan is safe!" Olivia choked out through the smoke.
Harrison turned toward the open window.
The intruder had slid down an emergency rope onto the lawn below.
Harrison leaned out the window and fired three continuous shots into the dark rain.
A loud grunt echoed from below, followed by the sound of a body hitting the wet grass.
Harrison turned to his head of security, who had just rushed into the room recovering from being knocked out earlier.
"Secure the perimeter!" Harrison ordered furiously. "Bring that bastard to the basement!"
Ten minutes later, the wounded intruder was tied securely to a metal chair in the estate's high-tech basement interrogation room.
Blood was dripping from his shot shoulder onto the concrete floor.
Harrison stood over him, his face illuminated by harsh overhead lights.
Olivia stood near the doorway, holding a damp towel against her bruised forehead.
Harrison reached forward and ripped the black tactical mask off the intruder’s head.
Olivia gasped in shock.
It wasn't a hired mercenary.
It was Marcus Kane, the young head of digital operations from the Blackwell board of directors.
"Marcus?" Harrison said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
Marcus spat blood onto the floor and laughed weakly, his eyes crazed.
"You thought it was old man Sterling, didn't you?" Marcus sneered.
"Sterling was just a greedy fool."
"He took the blame like a idiot."
"Why, Marcus?" Harrison asked, leaning down until his face was inches from the traitor.
"I paid you tens of millions."
"I made you the youngest executive vice president in the history of Wall Street."
"You didn't make me anything!" Marcus spat back bitterly.
"You sat on your golden throne while I built your entire cloud architecture!"
"And then you refused to sell the satellite network to the Syndicate!"
Olivia stepped forward, her eyebrows furrowing.
"The Syndicate?" she asked.
Marcus looked at Olivia with malicious contempt.
"The global cabal that actually owns your precious boss, sweetheart," Marcus laughed darkly.
"Harrison thinks he’s the most powerful man in the world."
"But he’s just a target."
"And now that you’ve stuck your nose into our business, Miss Brooks..."
Marcus leaned forward against his ropes, staring directly into Olivia’s eyes.
"They already know who your mother is."
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"They know where she lives in Ohio."
"And if I don't check in by midnight, she dies."
