Chapter 9 - The Inner Circle
The realization hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
Emma had specifically told me her brother lost both of his legs in a tragic trucking accident.
I stared at the young man’s completely intact legs, my mind racing through a thousand terrifying implications.
I did not say a word as the speedboat docked at my private safehouse on the edge of the city.
I escorted the mother and brother inside, ordering Marco to place them in the secure guest wing.
I walked into my private office and locked the door behind me.
I poured a glass of whiskey, my hands completely steady as cold fury replaced my confusion.
I opened my secure laptop and connected to my elite team of cyber investigators.
I ordered them to dig up every single medical record, birth certificate, and tax return associated with Emma Carter.
I waited in the dark office for an hour, watching the rain beat against the reinforced glass.
The encrypted file finally downloaded, and I opened it with a heavy heart.
The documents proved exactly what I had feared since the boat ride.
Emma Carter was an only child, and her mother had died of heart failure ten years ago.
The people sleeping in my guest wing were highly trained Russian intelligence operatives.
I realized with absolute certainty that Marco could not have vetted her properly when he hired her fourteen months ago.
I pulled my pistol from my desk drawer and walked quietly down the hall to Marco’s quarters.
I found him packing a duffel bag with stacks of untraceable cash.
He looked up at me, his eyes widening in panic as I aimed the gun at his chest.
He confessed that Kolov had paid him ten million dollars to install Emma in my household.
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I shot Marco once in the heart, executing the traitor without a second of hesitation.
His cell phone immediately buzzed on the bed, and I picked it up to see a text from Emma thanking him for his service.
