Chapter 7 - Checkmate in the Lobby
The grand lobby of Blackthorn House was a masterclass in architectural intimidation, featuring vaulted ceilings, Italian marble floors, and massive crystal chandeliers. As Marcus Vance and his heavily armed crew stepped past the velvet ropes, they looked around with smug satisfaction, believing the building already belonged to them.
"Where is Cross?" Marcus barked at the terrified night receptionist, his hand resting casually inside his tailored jacket where a heavy caliber pistol was holstered.
Instead of answering, the receptionist simply pressed a remote switch under her desk.
With a deafening mechanical hiss, the heavy reinforced steel security shutters dropped over every entrance and exit of the ground floor, sealing Marcus and his men inside like rats in a trap. At the exact same moment, the floor-to-ceiling balcony railings on the second and third tiers parted, revealing two dozen of Adrian’s elite security operatives, their assault rifles leveled directly down at the lobby floor.
On the main screen upstairs, we watched Marcus’s face drain of all color as he realized he had walked straight into a kill box.
"Marcus," Adrian’s voice boomed through the building's high-fidelity intercom system, echoing off the marble walls with terrifying clarity. "You look a little lost. Did you take a wrong turn on your way to federal prison?"
On the screen, Marcus frantically pulled out his encrypted satellite phone, trying to dial out, but the signal jammer activated by Adrian's tech team neutralized every frequency within a three-mile radius.
May you like
"Cross! This is a mistake!" Marcus roared into the empty air, his voice cracking with panic. "The federal prosecutor has your name on a sealed indictment! If you kill us, the whole city comes down with you!"
"Federal indictments require evidence, Marcus," Adrian’s voice replied smoothly, cold as glacial ice. "And thanks to a very observant young woman named Mara Bennett, every single offshore account, bribe, and conspiracy document linking you, Sterling, and the Whitmores has already been forwarded to every major news outlet and federal oversight committee in Washington. Your indictments are dropping tonight, too—only your names are at the top of the list."
