Chapter 6
The northern estate sat shrouded in dense pine forests, miles away from the glittering skyscrapers and political backchannels of the capital. The sprawling stone manor was dark, its heavy oak shutters closed against the biting autumn wind. Elena cut the headlights of the sports car a quarter-mile down the private drive, coasting the vehicle onto the gravel courtyard in near-total silence.
Clara stepped out first, her heels clicking softly against the stones as she reached into her handbag for the heavy brass key. “The security system here is old,” she whispered, her breath forming a faint white cloud in the night air. “Julian didn’t think we’d ever use this place against him. He disabled the exterior motion sensors last month to save on maintenance costs.”
“Arrogance is always a man’s downfall,” Elena replied, following her up the broad stone steps.
Inside, the manor was freezing, smelling of dust and old cedar. They didn’t turn on the lights, navigating the familiar corridors by the pale moonlight streaming through the tall, arched windows. They made their way directly to the second-floor study, where Julian had occasionally stored confidential military briefings during their weekend retreats.
Clara inserted the brass key into the heavy mahogany door, turning it with a satisfying click. The room was dominated by a large slate-gray desk and a heavy iron wall safe hidden behind a portrait of a 19th-century naval commander.
“This is it,” Clara said, walking up to the portrait and swinging it outward on its brass hinges. The heavy iron door of the safe was exposed, featuring a high-tech biometric scanner alongside a digital keypad.
“Can you bypass the scanner?” Elena asked, watching the shadows stretch across the walls.
“Julian made me register my thumbprint six months ago, claiming it was for emergency household access,” Clara said with a grim smile. She pressed her right thumb firmly against the glass reader.
A soft red light flickered green, and with a heavy mechanical thud, the safe door popped open. Inside, neatly stacked folders and encrypted flash drives sat undisturbed. Clara reached in, pulling out a thick manila folder labeled Project Vanguard alongside three heavy titanium USB drives.
“I have them,” Clara breathed, handing the folder to Elena.
May you like
Suddenly, the silence of the manor was shattered by the harsh glare of headlights sweeping across the courtyard outside. A low-frequency engine rumble vibrated through the floorboards.
Elena froze, clutching the folder to her chest. “We’ve been tracked.”
