Chapter 4 - The Inner Circle RotsThe name hung in the air like poison gas.
Marcus.
Marcus Vance—no relation to Elena, but a man Viktor had pulled out of a Black Sea prison eight years ago and trusted with his life, his finances, and the perimeter security of every property he owned.
"Careful," Viktor warned, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Marcus took a bullet for me in Bucharest."
"Marcus took a payoff in Bucharest," Rachel countered fiercely, stepping closer. "And he took another one yesterday afternoon to disable the security cameras in the east wing for forty-five minutes. That’s when they brought in the crates. Check the server logs, Mr. Kovac. Don't take my word for it. Look at the digital footprint."
Viktor didn't hesitate. He pulled out a secure encrypted satellite phone, bypassed the local router, and accessed the master server logs for the estate.
Lines of code scrolled down the tiny OLED screen. 14:32:01 - Camera Sector 4 (East Wing) - Offline (Override: User_Marcus). 14:32:15 - External Freight Gate - Opened (Override: User_Marcus). 14:32:44 - Cargo Logged: 4 crates (Class-4 Munitions).
The proof was undeniable. Marcus had sold them out. The fortress was compromised from the inside, and the wolves were already inside the perimeter.
Before Viktor could speak, a soft beep chimed from the security console near the door.
May you like
Warning: Perimeter motion detected. Sector 1 (Main Driveway).
Headlights swept across the frosted glass windows of the basement stairwell. A fleet of three black Cadillac Escalades rolled silently up the private drive, their lights extinguished before they reached the portico.
