CHAPTER 2 — THE GHOST WHO RETURNED
The explosion rattled every chandelier in the mansion.
The men reaching for the closet froze instantly.
"What the hell was that?" one shouted.
Another sprinted toward the balcony overlooking the front entrance.
His face drained of color.
"Twelve armored SUVs..."
"They just crashed through the gates!"
Cassandra grabbed the security monitor.
Black vehicles poured into the circular driveway like wolves surrounding prey.
Men in black tactical gear stepped out with military precision.
No company logos.
No police badges.
No hesitation.
At their front stood an older man with silver hair and a scar running across his throat.
Viktor.
The same man governments once called "The Butcher of Odessa."
He raised one hand.
The estate's private security opened fire first.
A fatal mistake.
Within fifteen seconds, every guard was disarmed, unconscious, or crawling across the marble driveway begging for mercy.
Viktor never broke his stride.
"Find the child."
"Leave the traitors breathing."
"They belong to Mr. Mercer."
Inside the mansion, panic spread like wildfire.
Servants hid.
Guests fled through side exits.
Richard Wells staggered backward.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Cassandra's confidence cracked for the first time.
"Marcus is in London!"
"He can't be here!"
Viktor's voice echoed from downstairs.
"He isn't."
"But we are."
One of Cassandra's bodyguards whispered, "Should we kill the girl now?"
Cassandra turned so fast she slapped him across the face.
"No!"
"Forty-five million depends on her staying alive."
Richard swallowed hard.
"What if Marcus lands before the exchange?"
Cassandra smiled again, though her eyes betrayed fear.
"He won't."
"I made sure of that."
She reached into her purse and removed another phone.
One encrypted message.
Package Seven. Activate airport delay.
Far away, three corrupt officials received the order.
Marcus's jet would never legally enter American airspace.
At least, that was the plan.
Meanwhile, inside the hidden closet, Lily still clutched the phone.
"Daddy..."
"They're in the house."
Marcus answered from thirty thousand feet over the Atlantic.
"I know."
"Listen carefully."
"When I tell you, crawl through the back wall."
Lily frowned.
"What wall?"
Marcus smiled faintly.
"The one we built together."
She looked behind the hanging coats.
Her tiny fingers brushed against smooth cedar panels.
Then...
A tiny brass star.
She pressed it.
The wall slid open silently.
A narrow tunnel stretched into darkness.
"I found it!"
Marcus whispered, "Good girl."
"Now run."
As Lily disappeared into the hidden passage, the closet doors burst open.
Empty.
The kidnappers stared in disbelief.
"Where did she go?"
Cassandra's scream echoed through the mansion.
"FIND HER!"
None of them noticed the small blinking red light inside the tunnel.
Marcus was tracking every step his daughter took.
But someone else was watching too.
A figure hidden in the mansion's security room smiled as Lily appeared on another monitor.
He wasn't one of Cassandra's men.
He wasn't one of Marcus's soldiers either.
He quietly picked up a satellite phone.
"The package is moving," he said.
"The auction can still happen."
May you like
Then he smiled.
"Neither side knows I'm here."
