Chapter 17 - THE SECOND SHADOW
Elena’s heart didn't race.
Her blood didn't run cold.
Years of ruling an empire of monsters had taught her to master every physical reaction.
She held the phone to her ear, her face completely calm, her eyes reflecting the bright morning sun.
“The real architect of Winterfall... is standing right behind you.”
The voice on the phone cut off into static.
Click.
Silence returned to the high-rise office.
Elena didn't turn around immediately.
She slowly lowered the phone receiver back onto its black base.
Sofia was standing near the glass door, holding the black leather folder tightly against her chest.
She looked at Elena with an innocent, questioning gaze.
"Aunt Elena?" Sofia asked softly.
"Who was that on the phone?"
"Was there a problem with the Singapore file?"
Elena looked at her niece.
She examined the pristine dark grey blazer.
The sharp, posture.
The cold, steady light in Sofia’s hazel eyes.
Three days ago, Sofia was a spoiled, hysterical girl who cried over torn silk and broken fingernails.
In seventy-two hours, she had transformed into a stone-cold operative who didn't flinch at gunshots or broken bones.
Was that transformation natural trauma response?
Or was it a mask that had been waiting for the right moment to be put on?
"It was nothing," Elena said smoothly, stepping out from behind her oak desk.
"Just a minor logistics error with our courier in London."
"I see," Sofia said, a subtle, charming smile appearing on her face.
"You had a strange look on your face for a second."
"I thought it was bad news."
"No bad news," Elena replied, walking over to the bar in the corner of the office.
She poured two crystal glasses of clear, ice-cold vodka.
She turned around and offered one glass to Sofia.
"A toast," Elena proposed, holding up her glass.
"To the future of the Vance Syndicate."
Sofia took the glass, her manicured fingers brushing against Elena’s gloved hand.
"To the future," Sofia agreed, raising her glass.
They both clinked their glasses together.
CHIME.
Sofia raised the glass to her lips and took a small, elegant sip.
Elena did the same.
As Sofia drank, her eyes drifted toward the glass wall looking over the city.
She didn't see that Elena’s gaze was fixed entirely on her left wrist.
Underneath the sleeve of Sofia’s sleek dark grey blazer, a tiny black mark was barely visible.
It was a tiny tattoo near her pulse point.
A coiled serpent holding a broken crown.
The crest of the Winterfall faction.
Elena set her empty glass down on the marble bar, her dark green eyes narrowing into pure, lethal focus.
May you like
The trap hadn't ended on the balcony.
It was just entering its second phase.
