The silence in the grand foyer was so heavy you could hear the soft, frantic ticking of Vanessa’s diamond-encrusted wristwatch. I didn’t put my coat back on.

Marcus, four tactical operators, and I moved silently through the perimeter shadows. Inside, illuminated by a single overhead fluorescent bulb, Helena Vance—a woman in her late fifties dressed in designer clothes—was pacing nervously back and forth while clutching her phone.

"Victor, you have to extract me tonight!" Helena yelled into the receiver. "The feds are asking questions, and Whitfield's men are sweeping the city!"

"Your sacrifice is required, Helena," Victor’s voice sneered through the phone's speaker. "Your daughter ruined her assignment and is rotting in a cell. Do you really believe you still hold any value to me?"

"You... you traitorous monster!" Helena shrieked.

Before she could react, I kicked the side door off its hinges and swept into the room with my sidearm raised. Helena reached frantically for her purse, but Marcus pinned her to the concrete floor in a heartbeat.

I picked up the dropped phone from the floor.

"Victor," I said coldly into the mic.

A low, sinister laugh echoed through the speaker. "Impressive speed, little brother. But as usual, you're one step behind."

A knot tightened in my stomach. "What did you do?"

"Did you really think hiding your darling wife and her little girl in a suburban safe house was beyond my reach?" Victor whispered, his tone dripping with malice. "Your main estate might be fortified, but human beings always have blind spots. Listen to this."

Through the line came the terrifying sound of Lily crying, followed by Grace's desperate scream: "Daniel! Don't come! It's a b—"

A hand covered her mouth, cutting off her voice.

My blood turned to ice, replaced by a surge of blinding fury. "Victor! I swear to God I will end you for this!"

"Come to the old shipyards at the South Docks within thirty minutes. Alone, Daniel. If I spot a single guard or a police uniform behind you, I’ll have their bodies thrown into the river," Victor warned before ending the call.

I turned to Marcus, my eyes burning. "Marcus, get the truck ready. I'm going in."