Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The first sign something was wrong was the silence.

Damon noticed it immediately.

The quiet inside the penthouse felt unnatural too heavy, too still. The usual soft hum of electronics, the faint whir of the security system, even the background noise from the city outside… gone.

He lifted his head from the laptop on the kitchen counter.

“Luca?”

No answer.

Across the room, Luca was standing near the wall panel that controlled the security system. His expression had hardened into something sharp and focused.

“That’s not good,” Luca muttered.

Damon frowned. “What?”

“The cameras.”

“What about them?”

“They’re offline.”

Damon’s stomach tightened.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

Luca tapped the screen again, but the monitors stayed black.

A moment later the lights flickered once.

Then went out completely.

The penthouse plunged into darkness.

“Power outage?” Damon asked.

“No,” Luca said quietly.

His voice had changed.

Cold. Alert.

“This was deliberate.”

Outside, distant thunder rolled across the sky as rain began to fall against the windows.

Damon stood slowly.

“So someone cut the power.”

“Yes.”

“And the cameras.”

“Yes.”

Damon exhaled.

“That means”

“They’re already inside the building.”

The words hung in the darkness like a warning.

Luca moved quickly toward a drawer and pulled out a small tactical flashlight. The narrow beam sliced through the dark apartment.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

Damon crossed his arms.

“You know I hate that phrase.”

“I don’t care.”

Luca handed him a second flashlight.

“If something happens, run to the panic room.”

Damon gave him a look.

“You’ve known me long enough to realize that won’t happen.”

Luca sighed.

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

The rain outside intensified, tapping against the glass walls like distant footsteps.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Luca tilted his head slightly.

Listening.

Damon noticed.

“What?”

Luca’s voice dropped.

“Someone’s here.”

A faint sound echoed down the hallway.

A soft metallic click.

The unmistakable sound of a door handle turning.

Damon’s pulse quickened.

“That’s not supposed to happen.”

“No,” Luca said quietly.

“It isn’t.”

He stepped forward slowly, moving toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

The beam of his flashlight slid across the marble floor.

“Stay close,” Luca whispered.

Damon followed despite every instinct telling him this was a terrible idea.

The hallway stretched ahead of them.

Dark.

Silent.

Then

A flash of movement.

A gunshot exploded through the darkness.

The silencer muted the sound, but the bullet shattered the glass wall behind Damon with a violent crack.

“Down!” Luca shouted.

He tackled Damon to the floor just as another shot whizzed overhead.

Glass rained down across the room.

Damon’s heart slammed in his chest.

“That’s definitely an assassin,” he muttered.

Luca rolled to his feet.

“Stay behind the island.”

“I’m not hiding.”

“You are tonight.”

Before Damon could argue, Luca disappeared down the hallway.

Another shot rang out.

Then the sound of bodies colliding.

Damon grabbed the flashlight and moved cautiously toward the noise.

Luca had the attacker pinned against the wall.

They struggled violently.

The assassin moved fast too fast.

A knife flashed in the dark.

Luca twisted just in time, the blade slicing through his sleeve instead of his arm.

“Damn it,” Luca growled.

The attacker kicked him backward.

For a split second the flashlight beam hit the assassin’s face.

A woman.

Sharp eyes.

Cold expression.

Elena.

Luca recognized her instantly.

“Elena Varga.”

She smirked.

“You look surprised.”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“And yet,” she said calmly, “here I am.”

She fired again.

Luca ducked.

The bullet slammed into the wall.

Damon grabbed a heavy glass bottle from the counter and threw it.

It smashed against the floor near Elena’s feet.

She glanced toward him.

Just long enough.

Luca lunged forward.

But Elena was already moving.

She kicked open the balcony door and disappeared into the rain.

By the time Luca reached the edge

She was gone.

Only darkness and storm clouds stretched across the skyline.

Damon exhaled slowly.

“Well,” he said.

“That was exciting.”

Luca ran a hand through his wet hair.

“You could have been killed.”

“Technically I almost was.”

“You should have stayed back.”

“You should have caught her.”

Luca gave him a look.

“Very helpful.”

Damon walked toward the shattered glass wall.

“So she escaped.”

“Yes.”

“But she came prepared.”

Luca nodded.

“She knew the security layout.”

Damon frowned.

“That information isn’t public.”

“No,” Luca agreed.

“It isn’t.”

Something on the floor caught Luca’s attention.

He crouched down.

A small plastic card lay near the doorway.

He picked it up.

Damon leaned over his shoulder.

“What is it?”

“A keycard.”

Luca flipped it over.

The Moreau Holdings logo gleamed faintly in the flashlight beam.

Damon’s expression hardened.

“That gives access to the executive floors.”

“Yes.”

“Which means she had help getting inside.”

“Exactly.”

Damon folded his arms.

“So someone inside my company just tried to kill me.”

“That’s the most likely explanation.”

Luca turned the card again.

Then his expression shifted slightly.

“What?”

Luca handed him the card.

“Look at the name.”

Damon read it.

Then blinked.

“Wait.”

His voice tightened.

“That employee died two weeks ago.”

Luca nodded slowly.

“Which means someone reused his credentials.”

Damon exhaled sharply.

“Matteo.”

“Maybe.”

“But we don’t know yet.”

Damon stared at the shattered windows and rain pouring into the penthouse.

“They’re getting bolder.”

“Yes.”

“They’re not even pretending anymore.”

Luca slipped the keycard into his pocket.

“That means something else too.”

“What?”

“The pressure is working.”

Damon frowned.

“What pressure?”

Luca looked at him.

“Your investigation.”

Damon realized what he meant.

If someone had sent a second assassin

It meant Damon was getting close to the truth.

And whoever was behind everything was starting to panic.

Damon smiled slowly.

“Good.”

Luca raised an eyebrow.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“A little.”

“You’re insane.”

“Possibly.”

Damon walked back toward the living room.

“But if they’re desperate enough to send Elena…”

He paused.

“…then we’re definitely on the right path.”

Luca didn’t respond immediately.

Because he knew something Damon didn’t.

Elena Varga never accepted contracts unless the payout was enormous.

Which meant someone had invested a fortune in Damon’s death.

And people who spent that much money rarely gave up easily.

Luca’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

A new message appeared.

Unknown number.

He opened it.

One photo.

His blood ran cold.

It showed the lobby security camera from ten minutes earlier.

Elena walking calmly into the building.

But she wasn’t alone.

Another figure walked beside her.

The image was blurry.

But Luca recognized the man instantly.

Because he had seen him earlier that day.

Sitting calmly in Damon’s boardroom.

The message below the photo read:

“You’re protecting the wrong enemy.”

Luca slowly looked up.

Straight at Damon.

And realized something terrifying.

The person helping Elena get inside the building…

Was someone Damon trusted.