Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage
Claire backed away from the locked door, her breath forming small clouds in the freezing darkness.
The heating system in her section of the mansion had been completely shut off.
She stumbled through the dark study, searching for anything she could use to break the window.
Downstairs in the grand dining room, Roman sat at the head of the long, luxurious table.
He swirled the expensive red wine in his glass, carefully watching Marcus across the room.
Marcus raised his glass in a silent toast, his smile entirely devoid of warmth.
Roman felt his encrypted phone vibrate twice in his tuxedo jacket pocket.
It was a restricted emergency code from Dante.
Roman excused himself from the table, ignoring Vivian's sharp glare.
He walked quickly down the hallway, drawing his suppressed pistol from his shoulder holster.
He turned the corner to the private study and found Dante lying unconscious on the marble floor.
A pool of dark blood was slowly spreading from a deep wound on the bodyguard's head.
Roman cursed under his breath and kicked the heavy oak door open.
The study was completely empty, and the window leading to the snowy terrace was shattered.
"Claire!" he yelled into the freezing wind blowing through the broken glass.
There was no answer, only the howling of the relentless blizzard outside.
Roman noticed a small trail of fresh blood drops leading out into the snow.
He stepped through the broken window, following the red markers into the absolute darkness of the estate grounds.
The trail led directly toward the massive, isolated carriage house at the edge of the property.
He approached the heavy wooden doors, gripping his weapon tightly in his freezing hand.
He pushed the door open, slipping silently into the dark, cavernous space filled with vintage cars.
Suddenly, massive stadium floodlights clicked on, blinding him completely.
"Drop the gun, Roman, or she dies right now," Marcus's voice echoed through the garage.
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Roman's vision slowly adjusted to the blinding light.
Marcus was standing in the center of the room, holding a heavy silver revolver directly to Claire's temple.
