The first thing Maya Lin saw when the cellar door opened was the face of the most dangerous man in Boston.

The illusion of absolute security shattered precisely at 3:00 AM on the seventh day.

Victor was in his study, reviewing the latest intelligence reports from his street-level informants, when the compound’s internal perimeter alarms shrieked to life. Red emergency lights bathed the hallways in a sinister, pulsing glow.

Maya bolted out of bed, her heart hammering. She grabbed the loaded Glock from the nightstand—a gift from Victor that she now kept within arm's reach. She sprinted down the hall to Clara’s room, finding the older woman sitting up, clutching her chest in terror.

“Stay down, Clara. Get into the bathroom and lock the door,” Maya ordered, her voice trembling but resolute.

Downstairs, the estate was in absolute chaos. Marcus and the elite guards were sweeping the corridors with assault rifles raised. Victor met them in the grand foyer, his weapon drawn, his face a mask of lethal fury.

“Status!” Victor barked.

“Someone disabled the biometric locks on the north gate from the inside,” Marcus reported grimly. “They let a strike team in. We repelled them at the courtyard, but it was a close call. Sir... we have a mole.”

Victor’s blood ran cold. The compound’s security was heavily encrypted; only top-tier guards had the clearance to bypass the gates.

“Lock down the estate. No one leaves. No one breathes without my permission,” Victor commanded. He marched toward the security control room, his mind racing. Julian was a coward, but he was cunning. He had managed to buy someone inside Victor’s inner circle.

Maya appeared at the top of the stairs, holding her pistol, her eyes wide with fear.

“Maya, get back to the safe room!” Victor shouted, the protective instinct violently overriding his tactical calm.

“Victor, wait!” Maya called out, descending the stairs quickly. “When Julian’s men grabbed me in the alley three weeks ago, one of them had a very specific tattoo on his neck. A black serpent wrapping around a dagger.”