Chapter 1 - The First Ripple
The burner phone in Declan’s massive hand looked like a child’s toy. He stared at the glowing text message, his jaw set so tight the muscles twitched.
"They’re getting bold, Boss," Declan rumbled. "This wasn't sent from across town. The signal ping is local. Someone in this hotel sent it."
Silas Thorne wheeled himself backward, turning away from the twenty-five empty chairs. His mind, trained for decades to process threats like a supercomputer, was already ten steps ahead of his enforcer. "They wanted to watch the fallout," Silas said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Leo wouldn't have the stomach to be in the building, but Marcus would. He’s old school. He’d want to see my face when I realized I was a ghost."
Silas looked at the remnants of the red velvet cake. The battered yellow tulip still stood defiantly in the frosting.
Suddenly, a cold realization hit Silas.
"The cameras," Silas snapped, his gray eyes hardening. "The hallway cameras outside this suite."
Declan caught on immediately. "They were watching to see who didn't show up. But they also saw who went in."
"A waitress and a six-year-old girl," Silas finished, the temperature in the room dropping to absolute zero. "To a man like Marcus, anyone who walks into my private room is either an asset or leverage. They don't know who she is, but they know she spent thirty minutes in a room with me when no one else did."
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"I’ll get the car," Declan said, pulling his weapon from his shoulder holster.
"No," Silas ordered. "You find Clara and the child. Get them out of the hotel through the service elevator. Take them to the Lake House. If anyone gets in your way, put them in the ground. The coup has started, Declan. Time to remind them why they used to fear the dark."
