Chapter 2 - The Uninvited Guest
The interior of Silas Vance’s compound was a fortress of marble, mahogany, and bulletproof glass. Yet, as the little girl was led into the massive kitchen, she seemed entirely unimpressed. She shivered violently, her lips a pale shade of blue, her fingers clinging to Bane's thick collar. The dog had refused to stay in the pavilion. When Silas had ordered his men to take the girl, Bane had bared his teeth, making it explicitly clear that where she went, he went.
"Get her a blanket and something hot to eat," Silas commanded his personal chef, who was staring in absolute shock at the monstrous dog sitting obediently beside the barstool.
Silas pulled up a chair opposite the girl. Up close, she looked even more fragile. Her face was smudged with dirt and engine grease, and she possessed a hollow, haunted look that Silas had only seen on veteran soldiers.
"What is your name, kid?" Silas asked, his voice softer than it had been in a decade.
"Elara," she whispered, her voice raspy from the cold.
"How do you know that dog, Elara?" Silas pressed, leaning forward. "Where did you hear the name Kaelen?"
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Elara took a trembling sip of the warm broth the chef placed in front of her. "My papa," she said softly. "He raised Kaelen before the bad men took him away. Papa said if I was ever in trouble, I should find Kaelen. He said Kaelen remembers."
Silas felt a chill run down his spine. The Russian breeder had sworn the dog’s previous handler was dead. If this girl was the handler's daughter, she was the sole survivor of a bloodbath that had occurred thousands of miles away. And if she had walked all the way here, she brought a target right to Silas's front door.
