Chapter 3 - The Broken Circle
The subway ride into Manhattan was a nightmare of paranoia. Every time a passenger glanced toward her coat, Elena’s pulse spiked. She kept her head down, her hand resting over Sophia’s quiet, rhythmic breathing.
She got off at Wall Street. The air between the skyscrapers was biting and sharp. Three blocks away, the glass spire of Moretti Maritime rose into the grey sky like a black mirror.
Elena didn't walk through the front entrance. She knew the layout of high-end corporate buildings. She headed straight for the underground delivery bay, where catering trucks and supply vans lined up for security inspections.
She spotted Arthur almost immediately. He was standing near a loading ramp, wearing a heavy charcoal overcoat, holding a tablet, and barking orders at two men unloading crates of vintage wine for an upcoming corporate gala.
Elena waited until the delivery guards turned their attention to a freight truck before slipping past the barrier.
"Arthur," she whispered, stepping into the shadow of a concrete pillar.
Arthur Pendelton jumped, turning with a glare that quickly dissolved into confusion. "Elena? What on earth are you doing here? You look like you haven't slept in a week."
"I need your help," she said, her voice trembling.
"Elena, I'm working. The Moretti Gala is in forty-eight hours, and if these temperature-controlled cases aren't logged—"
"Arthur, look at me," she interrupted, stepping closer and pulling back the edge of her coat just enough for him to see the sleeping face of the infant.
Arthur stared. His breath hitched. He stepped back, looking wildly around the delivery bay before dragging Elena into a small security control room off the main bay. He slammed the door shut and locked it.
"Is that...?" Arthur couldn't even finish the sentence. His face turned pale. "Tell me you didn't."
"I found her in a dumpster behind the Briarstone at three in the morning," Elena said, her words coming fast and clear. "She was freezing to death. Someone put her there, Arthur. The news said she was taken from Central Park, but that's a lie. She was dumped behind the hotel."
Arthur reached out with a shaking hand, touching the edge of the cashmere blanket. "Good God. The entire city is on lockdown. Lorenzo Moretti has put a fifty-million-dollar bounty on anyone involved. His men are tearing the outer boroughs apart."
"I don't want a bounty," Elena said fiercely. "I want her to be safe. But if I walk through the front door, his guards will shoot me before I can explain. I need you to get me to him, Arthur. Directly to him."
Arthur pulled at his collar, sweat breaking out on his forehead despite the chilly room. "Lorenzo is currently on the top floor with his inner circle. He hasn't slept since yesterday. He's... unstable, Elena. If I take you up there and this goes wrong—"
"Look at her necklace," Elena insisted. She pulled the platinum lion medallion from her pocket and placed it in Arthur’s palm.
Arthur looked at the engraving. His eyes narrowed. He turned the medallion over. On the back, hidden beneath a micro-stamp, was a faint series of numbers.
"This isn't just a family crest," Arthur whispered, his voice dropping an octave. "This is an encryption key. It opens the vault at the estate."
Before Elena could ask what that meant, the door to the security room was thrown open.
May you like
Two men in tailored black suits stepped inside. Their hands were tucked under their suit jackets, their faces carved from stone.
"Mr. Pendelton," one of them said smoothly. "Who is this woman, and why is she in a private facility?"
