Chapter 5 - The Ledger's Ghost
Penelope did not think.
She threw her entire weight against Larkin's chest, driving her steel-tipped heels into the marble floor for leverage.
A suppressed gunshot shattered the grand window of the ballroom precisely where Larkin's head had been a fraction of a second earlier.
The high-velocity round embedded itself into the ice sculpture behind them, showering Thomas in frozen shrapnel.
Screams erupted as the gala dissolved into absolute chaos.
"Get down!" Larkin roared, pulling Penelope behind an overturned mahogany banquet table.
Dozens of syndicate members drew their weapons, scanning the balcony and shattered windows for the sniper.
Glass crunched under heavy boots as bodyguards rushed to secure the perimeter.
Penelope was pressed flush against Larkin in the cramped space, her heart pounding against his ribcage.
He smelled of gunpowder, expensive cologne, and sudden, cold fear.
"You saved my life," Larkin breathed, his eyes searching her face in the dim light.
"You would have been difficult to replace," Penelope replied, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to maintain the facade.
A harsh bark of laughter escaped Larkin's throat.
"I need to get you out of here," he said, drawing a matte black handgun from a shoulder holster hidden beneath his tuxedo.
"No," Penelope said, grabbing his wrist.
"The shooter wasn't aiming from outside."
Larkin frowned, looking at the shattered glass on the floor.
"The glass blew outward, Mr. Steves."
Larkin's eyes widened as the forensic geometry clicked in his brilliant, analytical mind.
The shot had come from inside the ballroom, aimed at the window to create a panic.
Someone was using the chaos as a distraction.
"Thomas," Larkin whispered, looking around the edge of the overturned table.
His cousin was gone.
"He needs the master ledger," Penelope said urgently.
"If he owes Victor five million dollars, he has to wipe the main server tonight to cover his tracks."
Larkin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sleek, titanium flash drive.
"The master ledger is right here," Larkin said, his voice grim.
"It never leaves my side."
Penelope stared at the drive, a sudden realization making her blood run cold.
She remembered the text message she had received in her apartment.
"Make sure you are standing close enough to grab his master ledger when he falls."
The assassin did not want Larkin dead just for power.
They needed the drive.
A shadow fell over them.
Penelope looked up to see a waiter in a pristine white uniform standing over the table.
In his hand was an assault rifle equipped with a heavy silencer, pointed directly at Larkin's head.
The waiter smiled, revealing rows of perfectly white teeth.
"Hand over the drive, Mr. Steves," the assassin said softly.
May you like
Before Larkin could raise his weapon, Penelope kicked upward with blinding speed.
Her steel-tipped stiletto caught the assassin precisely in the kneecap with a sickening crunch.
