Chapter 6 - The Sabotage Uncovered
I pounded on Alexander's heavy mahogany bedroom door with frantic urgency, not caring if I woke up the entire estate.
Within five seconds, the door swung open.
Alexander stood there wearing a dark silk robe, his hair slightly disheveled, holding a sleek black semiautomatic pistol casually at his side with the practiced ease of a trained marksman.
"Emily?" he asked, his sharp eyes instantly scanning the hallway behind me for threats. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"The convoy tomorrow is a trap, Alexander," I gasped, out of breath from sprinting up the marble staircase. "Richard and Julian hired men to ambush us on the highway. And someone messed with your cars."
Alexander’s expression turned from curious concern to lethal, calculating focus within a heartbeat.
He didn't question my words, nor did he ask for proof.
He lowered the pistol, grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and dialed his head of private security.
"Marcus. Bring the mechanical diagnostics team to the private subterranean garage immediately," Alexander ordered smoothly. "No flashlights, no intercoms. Code Black."
Five minutes later, Alexander and I walked down the narrow concrete steps leading into the underground garage beneath the villa.
The space housed eight luxury vehicles, including three identical matte-black armored SUVs designed to withstand military-grade explosives.
Marcus, a hulking former Marine with a scar running across his temple, was already underneath the primary SUV with an electronic inspection scope.
Two other private security guards stood by the garage doors with assault rifles held low and ready.
Marcus slid out from under the heavy chassis, holding a small, magnetic electronic device no larger than a deck of cards.
His face was grim.
"Remote thermite charge, boss," Marcus reported, holding up the device with gloved hands. "Wired directly into the primary brake actuator and the fuel manifold. The moment this vehicle hits sixty-five miles per hour on the interstate, the signal triggers an ignition that would incinerate the passenger cabin in four seconds."
The air in the garage became instantly freezing.
I stared at the explosive device, a cold wave of nausea washing through my stomach as I realized how close we had come to being burned alive on the morning news.
"Who had access to this bay tonight, Marcus?" Alexander asked, his voice deathly calm, devoid of any anger—which made it a thousand times more terrifying.
"Only one person entered the garage after midnight using an override maintenance card," Marcus replied, pulling up a security tablet showing a grainy surveillance clip.
On the screen was Julian Carter, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, slipping under the vehicle for three minutes before slinking back into the shadows.
"He tried to kill his own cousin," I whispered, horrified by the absolute depravity of the men who shared my blood.
"Julian didn't act alone," Alexander said coldly, watching the video clip loop. "My uncle has been orchestrating moves like this for forty years. He thinks he can eliminate us and stage it as a tragic mechanical failure."
Alexander turned to Marcus, his eyes blazing with an icy, merciless brilliance.
"Defuse the charge on this vehicle," Alexander commanded. "Then prepare the decoy transport. We stick to the original departure schedule at eight-thirty sharp."
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"Boss, you can't get into that car," Marcus protested, his brow furrowing in alarm.
"I won't be in it," Alexander replied, a cold, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Julian will."
