Chapter 2 - The Ghost in the System
Roman left the bleeding man in the basement and walked rapidly up the wooden stairs.
His mind was racing with terrifying and completely impossible calculations.
Someone had paid millions of dollars to assassinate Josephine Caldwell inside his home.
He entered the temporary medical room located on the heavily guarded second floor.
Josephine was sitting very quietly on the edge of the leather examination table.
The private doctor was just finishing wrapping a thick white bandage around her forearm.
She looked up immediately when Roman walked into the sterile room.
Her soft, beautiful face gave absolutely nothing away to him.
"Are the boys finally asleep?" Josephine asked in her incredibly calm, melodic voice.
"They are perfectly safe with my personal elite guards," Roman answered coldly.
He dismissed the nervous private doctor with a sharp, commanding flick of his wrist.
The heavy oak door clicked shut, leaving them entirely alone in the quiet room.
Roman walked slowly toward her, his dark eyes analyzing every inch of her relaxed posture.
"You have precisely one minute to tell me your real name," Roman stated.
Josephine did not flinch or look away from his highly intense gaze.
"My name is Josephine Caldwell, and I have excellent childcare references," she replied smoothly.
Roman slammed his heavy hand against the wall right next to her head.
"Kindergarten teachers do not know how to execute a flawless martial arts throw."
"They do not instinctively drop their center of gravity to protect their vital organs during an ambush."
Josephine sighed softly, looking down at her neatly folded hands in her lap.
"I took a few self-defense classes in college to feel safe," she lied beautifully.
Roman reached into his tailored suit pocket and pulled out his encrypted mobile device.
"While the doctor was stitching you up, I had my tech team run your data."
"I pulled the fingerprints you carelessly left on the wooden toy chest in the playroom."
Josephine finally went completely still, her steady breathing stopping for a fraction of a second.
"I am a very powerful man, Josephine, and I have deep access to federal databases."
Roman quickly turned the glowing screen of his phone around for her to see clearly.
"The FBI database flagged your exact fingerprints instantly."
Josephine stared blankly at the highly classified federal document displayed on his bright screen.
May you like
"According to the United States government, you do not even exist."
"Your fingerprints belong to a notorious syndicate assassin who was declared legally dead five years ago."
