Chapter 434
Chapter 434:
Marcus hesitated. “Lucian said p>
“Lucian is busy planning a murder in the living room,” Skye cut in. “The library is just down the hall. We’re still inside the penthouse. You have a gun. I have a limp. Where am I going to go? I just need to breathe air that doesn’t taste like fear p>
Marcus looked at the door where Lucian was raging. He looked at Skye’s pale face and the bandage on her arm. The library was secure, part of the suite’s inner sanctum. There was no risk of escape.
“Five minutes,” Marcus said gruffly. “But I stay at the door p>
Skye nodded, hiding the triumph in her eyes. “Thank you p>
The penthouse library was a cavernous room lined with dark walnut shelves, the air thick with the scent of leather and dust. Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long, shifting shadows across the Persian rugs.
Wayne sat at a heavy mahogany desk in the corner, like a man awaiting execution. He was sweating through his expensive suit, clutching a briefcase to his chest. He jumped when the door opened, his eyes darting between Skye and the armed shadow of Marcus behind her.
“Ms. Sterling,” Wayne stammered, standing. “I… I didn’t expect… Mr. Graves said I was to wait for him p>
Skye offered a weak, trembling smile, playing the traumatized victim perfectly for Marcus’s benefit. “I just needed a quiet place to sit, Wayne. The bedroom… it’s too much p>
She limped toward a leather armchair near the desk. Marcus took up a position by the door, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the room but lingering on the windows. He deemed Wayne a nonthreat—a spineless accountant.
Skye sank into the chair, breathing deeply. She waited until Marcus turned his head slightly to check his earpiece. In that split second, she leaned forward, her demeanor shifting from fragile to predatory.
“Hello, Wayne,” she whispered, her voice steel wrapped in silk.
Wayne blinked, confused by the sudden change in her eyes. “Ms. Sterling p>
“You’re looking for an exit strategy, aren’t you?” Skye said, her voice low enough not to carry to the door. “Lucian called you here to move the emergency funds. Preparing for a war p>
Wayne tried to gather his papers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about p>
“Uncle Arthur,” Skye said.
The name landed like a grenade.
𝘉𝗿о𝗐𝘴𝗲 𝖻𝘆 с𝘢𝗍𝗲𝗀𝘰𝗋𝗒 𝗈ո 𝘣𝘦.cо𝗺
Wayne froze.
“I know about the offshore accounts,” Skye continued, her voice rapid and precise. “I know Dominic Thorne used you to funnel money from the Sterling trust to cover up the elder Thorne’s ‘accidental’ death. I have the digital trail. It’s stored on a cloud server that will auto-email Alistair Thorne in exactly…” She checked the grandfather clock in the corner. “…twenty minutes p>
Wayne’s face drained of color. He looked like he might vomit. “You… you can’t. Alistair will kill me p>
“He will,” Skye agreed pleasantly. “Unless I tell him you helped me. Dominic treats you like trash, Wayne. You’re the scapegoat. When the audit comes, who do you think goes to prison? The billionaire or the accountant p>
Wayne’s hands shook. He glanced at Marcus by the door, then back at Skye. “What do you want p>
“A location,” Skye said. “I need you to send a message to Alistair. Right now p>
“I can’t contact him directly. His channels are encrypted p>
“You have a backdoor,” Skye said. “Everyone like you has a backdoor. Use it p>
She grabbed a notepad and pen from the desk and slid them to him.
“Tell him: ‘Asset located. Hostage situation. Suite 402. Hostiles armed p>
Wayne stared at the pen. Sweat beaded on his upper lip.