Chapter 14 - The Lion's Den
It was 4:45 AM. The rain had stopped, leaving the city slick and shrouded in a heavy, ominous fog.
Elena stood in the rusted bathroom of the underground clinic, staring at her reflection in a cracked mirror. She didn't look like the blushing bride from yesterday.
She was wearing a sharp, tailored black suit that Cole had procured from Vance’s upstairs closet—likely belonging to someone who had died on the very table Victoria was currently resting on. The suit was slightly loose, but with a black turtleneck underneath, it gave her a sleek, dangerous silhouette. Her hair was pulled back tightly into a severe bun. The gold signet ring was heavy on her right index finger.
She looked like a Sterling.
Julian walked into the bathroom, dressed in a matching dark suit. He stopped, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
“Are you ready?” Julian asked softly.
“I’m terrified,” Elena admitted, her voice flat. “I’m a kindergarten teacher, Julian. I don’t know how to command a boardroom of billionaires.”
Julian stepped up behind her, looking at her in the glass. “You don't need to know corporate law, Elena. You just need to know how to execute. You have the leverage. You have the drive. And you have me.”
Cole leaned against the doorframe, checking the magazine of his Glock before sliding it into a shoulder holster. “Arthur will have his private muscle locking down the building. The regular security guards have probably been paid to look the other way, or they were sent home.”
“We go in through the underground shipping bay,” Julian instructed, switching into his role as the former COO. “I still have my access codes. If we move fast, we can get to the executive elevator before they realize we’ve breached the perimeter. Cole, you handle the guards. Elena and I will head straight for the boardroom on the 50th floor.”
“If things go sideways,” Cole said, his eyes locking with Elena’s, “you run. I’m not letting Arthur’s guys put a bullet in you.”
“Nobody is running,” Elena said. She turned around, her eyes cold and absolute. “Let’s go kill a king.”
Ten minutes later, the vintage Mustang was parked three blocks away from the towering glass monolith of the Sterling Enterprises headquarters. The building pierced the foggy night sky, completely dark except for the 50th floor, which blazed with light.
They slipped through the wet alleyways, arriving at the subterranean delivery entrance. Julian punched a twelve-digit override code into the keypad. The light flashed green, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
The loading dock was silent. Too silent.
“Stay close,” Cole whispered, drawing his weapon.
They moved like ghosts through the concrete corridors, bypassing the main security checkpoint. As they rounded the corner toward the private executive elevators, two men in tactical gear stepped out, assault rifles strapped to their chests.
“Hey!” one of the guards barked, reaching for his radio. “We have a breach—”
Cole didn’t hesitate. He closed the distance in three massive strides, bringing the butt of his Glock down onto the first guard's temple with a sickening crunch. As the man crumpled, the second guard raised his rifle.
Julian stepped forward, grabbing the barrel of the rifle and violently twisting it upward, while Cole delivered a devastating hook to the man's jaw, knocking him out cold.
“Clear,” Cole breathed, dragging the bodies into a nearby closet.
Elena stepped up to the gold-plated doors of the executive elevator. There was no button, only a fingerprint scanner and a small, circular indentation.
She took a deep breath, raised her right hand, and pressed the gold signet ring into the indentation.
May you like
A red laser scanned the crest on the ring. A second later, a soft chime echoed through the hall, and the gold doors slid open.
“Going up,” Elena said.
