Chapter 4 - The Rescue and the Hidden Ledger
Before I could ask what he meant, a sharp clanging sound echoed from above us. A beam of blinding white flashlight cut through the darkness as the hatch on the elevator ceiling was violently forced open. ""Boss! Can you hear us?"" shouted a gruff, familiar voice—Enzo Marchetti, Declan’s notoriously terrifying head of security, peering down into the car like an avenging angel with a tactical rope harness. ""We're down here, Enzo!"" I called out, waving my hand toward the light. Within minutes, a heavy-duty rescue winch was lowered into the shaft. Despite his injuries, Declan insisted on hoisting me up first, his strong hands supporting my waist to push me safely into the arms of the armed security team waiting on the twenty-third floor.
When Declan finally hauled himself up through the hatch, bleeding profusely and refusing medical assistance, the entire corridor transformed into a heavily guarded fortress. Enzo stood at attention, handing Declan a secure encrypted tablet while glaring suspiciously in my direction. ""The perimeter is locked down, Mr. Cross. The hit squad scattered when our backup arrived. But... we found something in your private office safe that was accessed tonight before the power was cut."" Declan took the tablet, his dark eyes scanning the glowing screen, and his face instantly drained of all color. He looked up slowly, his amber-flecked gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.
""Go home, Norah,"" Declan ordered, his voice dropping into a dangerous, controlled register. ""Enzo will drive you. You're taking a leave of absence starting tomorrow."" ""Like hell I am!"" I fired back, my exhaustion completely evaporating into pure indignation. ""I stayed late to finish your quarterly financial audit, I bandaged your gunshot wound, and I nearly died in a free-falling elevator with you! You don't get to bench me now!"" I reached into my tote bag, pulled out my encrypted flash drive containing the company's master financial summaries, and slammed it onto the nearest desk. ""If you think I haven't noticed the millions of dollars siphoned out of the logistics accounts over the last three years by someone inside your own executive board, you're severely underestimating your assistant. I know about the leak, Declan. And I know who authorized it.""
