Chapter 2 - The Infirmary
I stared at Clara, my mind racing through a thousand impossible scenarios.
My wife, Victoria, had left for Paris three weeks ago on a supposed business trip.
We had not shared a bed in over a year.
I turned slowly and looked at the baby strapped to the little girl's back.
Mia whimpered and took a protective step backward.
"Let me see her, Mia," I said, forcing my voice to remain calm and gentle.
Mia hesitated, tears spilling over her eyelashes, but she slowly turned her small shoulders.
I gently pushed aside the faded blue shawl covering the baby's face.
The fourteen-month-old child blinked awake in the dim light of the study.
My breath caught in my throat.
The baby had the exact same striking, iridescent silver eyes that defined the Duca bloodline.
It was a genetic mutation that had marked every true heir of my family for five generations.
She was absolutely mine.
Victoria had hidden my own child from me, placing her in the home of my housekeeper.
"Roman, you need to secure the perimeter," Clara wheezed, leaning heavily against the concrete wall.
"If Grace didn't finish the job, Victoria's mercenaries will."
I nodded, my lethal instincts overriding my shock.
"Stay in the hidden room with the girls," I ordered Clara.
I helped Mia unstrap her sister and guided them all into the concrete vault.
I pushed the heavy bookcase back into place, sealing them safely inside the wall.
I checked the ammunition in my weapon and stepped out into the quiet hallway.
I needed to check on the light I had seen shining from the infirmary.
I moved silently across the thick Persian carpets of the second floor.
I pushed the infirmary door open with the barrel of my gun.
The room was completely trashed.
Medical cabinets were shattered, and glass covered the white tile floor.
Lying in the center of the room was Dr. Aris, my private physician.
His throat had been expertly cut from ear to ear.
Blood was still pooling around his head, meaning the killer was still inside my house.
I raised my gun as I heard heavy footsteps approaching from the main staircase.
Elias, my trusted head of security, stepped into the doorway with his weapon drawn.
"Boss, I heard a noise," Elias said, looking down at the dead doctor with wide eyes.
"The perimeter is entirely secure, I swear it."
I looked at Elias, noticing a tiny speck of fresh blood on his pristine white collar.
May you like
"If the perimeter is secure, Elias, how did the doctor die?" I asked softly.
Elias swallowed hard and began to raise his gun toward my chest.
