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The cold dawn of Manhattan’s winter bit sharply through the floorboards of the servants’ quarters, but Elena Carter barely felt it. Her heart was still hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. / Chapter 15 / 17

Chapter 16 - The Chase in the Snow“Move, move, move!” Adrian yelled, grabbing Dominic by the tactical vest and hauling him toward the emergency service tunnel at the back of the server bay.

They scrambled through the narrow concrete chute just as a barrage of flashbang grenades detonated inside the room, filling the space with blinding white light and deafening shockwaves.

Bursting out into the freezing Swiss night air, they hit a dense, snow-covered pine forest bordering the facility perimeter. Breath pluming in the icy air, they sprinted through the deep drifts while federal searchlights swept frantically across the tree line.

“Extraction point is two miles north!” Dominic panted, clutching a graze wound on his forearm.

“Keep moving!” Adrian commanded, his boots crunching relentlessly through the snow.

A black armored SUV with masked Moretti loyalists burst out from a logging trail ahead, its headlights cutting through the blizzard. The side doors slid open instantly. Adrian and Dominic dove into the back as the vehicle accelerated hard, kicking up a rooster tail of snow and gravel as federal cruisers spilled out of the facility gates in hot pursuit.

Inside the bouncing cabin, Adrian pulled out his encrypted satellite phone, punched in the secure line to the Westchester estate, and waited for it to connect.

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The sterile scent of antiseptic and bleach hit Dana the moment she crossed the hospital room threshold. Every instinct she had honed over decades of service—calmness under fire, methodical assessment, absolute control—threatened to fracture at the sight of her daughter. Sophie’s bruised wrist peeked out from beneath the pale hospital blanket, a silent testimony to a brutality that Dana’s mind refused to accept as accidental.

The sterile scent of antiseptic and bleach hit Dana the moment she cross...

The mahogany grandfather clock in the east corridor struck 2:03 AM. The champagne glasses had been cleared, the jazz band had packed their instruments, and the last of the high-society guests had vanished into the freezing Manhattan night, leaving behind the heavy scent of expensive perfume and melted candlewax.

The mahogany grandfather clock in the east corridor struck 2:03 AM. The...

The wail of police sirens tore through the heavy silence of the Hawthorne estate, cutting across the manicured lawns like a blade. Mara remained frozen on her side near the base of the grand staircase, her breath shallow, her hands trembling against the floorboards. She could hear the frantic pounding of heavy shoes racing up the drive, followed by the metallic click of car doors slamming shut. They were here.

The wail of police sirens tore through the heavy silence of the Hawthorn...

“Report,” Elena’s voice came through instantly, tight and fierce.

“The drive is secured, and the Zurich servers are wiped,” Adrian said, leaning back against the leather seat as the adrenaline slowly began to fade. “We’re heading to the airstrip. I’m coming home, Elena.”

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