Chapter 4 - THE VIPER'S STRIKE
"Careful, Celeste," Marcus’s voice lost its smooth veneer, turning harsh and jagged. "You don't have a choice anymore. The house is locked down. My men are at the gates, in the security room, on the cameras. Your loyal guards are currently bleeding out in the basement."
Adrian’s eyes snapped open. He realized now why the house was so empty. Marcus had staged a complete coup. The men outside weren't Adrian's; they were Marcus's loyalists.
"Sign the documents, Celeste," Marcus ordered, the sound of a heavy leather briefcase snapping open echoing through the door. "Sign them, or I promise you, you won't live to see the sunrise. I’ll make it look like a murder-suicide. The grief of losing Adrian was just too much for you to bear."
Adrian didn't need to hear another word. He checked the magazine of his USP, ensuring a round was chambered. He had twelve shots. There were likely half a dozen men between him and the outside world, but right now, only one mattered.
He didn't kick the door down. That was for amateurs. Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his master keycard, and slid it into the electronic override slot of the study’s reinforced doors. A tiny green light flashed.
Adrian pushed the doors open in complete silence.
The study was bathed in the warm, flickering glow of the fireplace. Marcus stood by the heavy oak desk, his back to the door, a suppressed pistol in his hand, pointed directly at Celeste.
Celeste was seated in a high-backed leather chair. She looked pale, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, but her eyes were defiant, burning with a fire Adrian hadn't seen in years. As Adrian stepped into the room, her eyes flicked past Marcus and locked onto him.
For a fraction of a second, her breath hitched. Her eyes widened. She saw a ghost.
Adrian brought a single finger to his lips. Stay silent.
Celeste was a woman of the underworld. She didn't scream. She didn't gasp. Instead, she looked back at Marcus and smiled—a cold, terrifying smile that made the consigliere hesitate.
"What's so funny?" Marcus snarled, stepping closer to her.
"I was just thinking," Celeste said, her voice eerily calm, "about what Adrian does to people who touch his things."
May you like
Marcus laughed dismissively. "Adrian is dead, sweetheart."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Marcus," a voice resonated from the shadows behind him.
