Chapter 12 - THE SHADOW COUNCILWithin ten minutes, the penthouse living room had been transformed into a makeshift war room.
The sprawling floor-to-ceiling windows were covered with automated steel security shutters, plunging the room into a dim, amber-lit bunker mode. Marco and two of Adrian’s most trusted enforcers stood guard by the elevators, while Adrian bent over the coffee table, flipping through the physical documents Izzy had brought.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I stood beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tight, coiled tension in his muscles.
“The Triad,” Adrian murmured, his voice laced with venom as he stared at a glossy photograph of an aging Asian man with a distinct dragon tattoo on his neck. “Master Chen. I thought I cut ties with the Hong Kong shipping lanes years ago.”
“You did,” Izzy said, pacing behind the sofa while taking a sip of the sparkling water I had handed her. “But Chen didn't like being cut out. He funded Morosco’s hit squad six months ago. When Morosco failed, Chen decided to take personal control of the New York port syndicates.”
“And how did you find this out?” Adrian asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at his sister.
“Let’s just say I hacked into their private server in Macau while hiding out in a high-stakes poker game,” Izzy smirked proudly. “And the best part? They didn't just target your business, Addie. They hired an inside man. Someone currently inside this building.”
The room went dead silent.
Marco immediately shifted his hand closer to his holster, his eyes scanning the perimeter guards.
“An inside man?” Adrian repeated slowly, his gray-blue eyes turning ice-cold. He stood up slowly, towering over the coffee table. “Everyone on this floor has been vetted by me personally. Nobody gets in here without—"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The security console by the door flashed a harsh, violent crimson.
“Boss!” Marco yelled, rushing over to the terminal. “The lower service elevator override has just been tripped from the inside. Someone used a high-level administrative security badge.”
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My blood ran cold.
There were only three people in the entire world who possessed a master administrative security badge: Adrian, myself... and the head of our corporate security detail, Commander Sterling, who had worked for the Kane family for over fifteen years.
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