Chapter 5 - Summoning the most ruthless inner circle lieutenants to a clandestine midnight briefing inside the high security vault beneath the Manhattan penthouse floor.
"Lock down the perimeter, clear the floor, and bring her down to the lower vault immediately," Samuel commanded in an icy whisper.
Marcus, the head of security in his charcoal grey suit, nodded sharply and ushered Clara forward without using unnecessary physical force.
Samuel turned back to the dark polished table, taking one final, lingering look at the crystal whiskey decanter before following them down.
The secret elevator descended deep into the bedrock of Manhattan, opening into a reinforced steel vault lined with server racks and cash chests.
Under the harsh white glow of overhead security lamps, Clara stood in the center of the room, looking around with bewildered astonishment.
Samuel poured himself a finger of neat bourbon into a heavy glass, never breaking his piercing gaze away from the young woman.
"If this is a clever trap orchestrated by the Chicago syndicate, you picked the absolute worst person in the city to test," Samuel warned.
"I don't care about your syndicates, Samuel; I care about why you left us to rot while you built an empire on our graves," Clara snapped.
The sheer audacity of her words hung heavily in the confined space, shocking even the hardened bodyguards standing by the reinforced doors.
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Samuel set his glass down slowly, a dangerous smile touching the corner of his mouth as he realized the fire in her veins matched his own.
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