Chapter 5 - The South Gate Ultimatum
My blood turned to ice. I stared at the phone screen, the photograph of Lily standing innocently by the East Wing window burning itself into my brain. Someone else was out there. Victoria wasn't acting alone; she had a confederate stationed outside the perimeter, watching every move, ready to execute a secondary contingency plan the moment things went sideways.
“Marcus,” I barked, spinning around so fast the guard nearly dropped his clipboard. “Get half our security detail down to the south gate immediately. Someone is out there watching the house, and they just threatened my daughter.”
Marcus’s professional demeanor instantly shifted into high alert. He drew his radio, barking code words to the roving patrol units stationed across the ten-acre estate. “All units, Code Red. Perimeter breach reported near the south service gate. Secure all access points and converge on sector four.”
I didn't wait for Marcus to finish. I sprinted back toward the main house, my mind racing through the logistics of the estate's security grid. The south gate was located at the far edge of the old carriage road, surrounded by dense timberland that backed up against the county highway. It was a blind spot in our primary camera coverage—a detail that only someone very familiar with the estate layout would know.
Someone like an associate of Arthur Sterling.
When I burst back into the grand foyer, Victoria was still sitting on the marble floor, though she had stopped crying. Her head snapped up as I approached, a desperate, manic hope flickering in her eyes.
“You got the text, didn't you?” she whispered, a thin, triumphant smile touching the corners of her painted lips. “You thought you outsmarted me, Daniel? You thought finding a dead woman's flash drive meant you won? My associates are outside. They’ve been watching Lily for weeks. If I don't walk out of these gates with my freedom, your daughter pays the ultimate price.”
I gripped her by the satin shoulders of her wedding gown, hauling her to her feet with a raw strength born of absolute fury. Her manicured hands clawed at my wrists, but I didn't care.
“Who is out there, Victoria?” I demanded, my face inches from hers. “Who else is part of this?”
“You'll never find out in time,” she laughed hysterically, spitting the words into my face. “They’ve already got eyes on her room! You can lock me up all you want, Daniel, but you will never see your little girl grow up!”
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Before I could answer, my radio crackled to life with Marcus's urgent voice barking through the static.
“Mr. Reynolds! South gate patrol intercepting a vehicle now! Wait—contact! They're making a run for the highway! Sir, you need to see who just jumped out of the passenger seat!”
