Chapter 4 - The Housekeeper’s Secret
Back inside the main house, away from the roaring fires and the cold muzzle of Viktor’s submachine gun, Maria sat at the small wooden table in the servants’ quarters, rocking her daughter Sofia to sleep. The child’s breathing was shallow and even, her small hands still clutching a fragment of blue ribbon she had found on the back porch.
Maria wasn't just a housekeeper.
Ten years ago, before Adrian had inherited the estate and built his tech empire, Maria had worked as an operative for federal intelligence, specializing in digital surveillance and residential counter-espionage. She had taken the job as a maid specifically because her contacts had flagged Vivienne Galloway as an operative working for an international syndicate specializing in corporate extortion and targeted elimination.
Her phone buzzed silently against the table. She lifted it, swiped open an encrypted messenger app, and typed a single string of alphanumeric code into the terminal:
TARGET CONFIRMED. ASSETS LOCATED AT CARRIAGE HOUSE. VANCE, GALLOWAY, AND COLE ACTIVE.
The reply came back instantly from an encrypted federal relay:
TEAM ALPHA DEPLOYED. ETA FOUR MINUTES. SECURE THE PERIMETER.
Maria gently laid Sofia down on the narrow cot, pulled a heavy tactical vest from the false bottom of her laundry hamper, and strapped it across her chest. She checked the slide of her Glock 19, ensuring a round was chambered, before pulling back the heavy velvet curtain covering the hallway door.
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She had watched Vivienne walk down the hall toward the master wing just three minutes ago, carrying a leather briefcase packed with bearer bonds and forged passports. The rat was preparing to desert sinking ship before Adrian even finished dealing with Marcus and Viktor.
Maria stepped out into the dimly lit corridor, her rubber-soled shoes making no sound against the polished floorboards. She wasn't going to let Vivienne reach the helicopter pad on the roof.
