Chapter 1 - The Blue Trace
Dmitri followed the tiny finger of the four-year-old girl.
He squinted at the pale face of his boss.
A faint, shimmering blue powder clung to the bottom lip of the unconscious billionaire.
It was almost completely invisible against his ashen skin.
Maria gasped and pulled Sophie back into her arms.
"What did he drink?" Dmitri roared at the bodyguards.
One of the men pointed a trembling finger at the warm coffee cup on the desk.
"Just the espresso, sir."
Dmitri grabbed the porcelain cup and sniffed it cautiously.
His face immediately drained of all color.
"Cyanide mixed with nightshade."
He threw the cup against the wall, shattering it into a hundred sharp pieces.
"Lock down the entire estate right now!"
Heavy steel shutters instantly began to roll down over the massive windows of the study.
The security system wailed with a deafening siren.
Maria held Sophie tightly against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs.
She realized nobody was allowed to leave this room alive until the traitor was found.
Dmitri pulled his customized pistol from his shoulder holster.
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He aimed the deadly weapon directly at Maria.
"You brought the coffee tray into this room, Maria."
