Chapter 962
Dominic’s voice came through the feed, flat and cold. “A trade, Alistair. Since you destroyed the chip, I assume you made a backup. Bring it to me. Or the Vance heir dies.”
“Where is he?” Liam asked, his voice tight with controlled fury.
“The background,” Parker said, squinting at the screen, his instincts already firing. “That wallpaper. It’s velvet. Dark red.”
“The Velvet Room,” Liam said immediately. “A private club in the warehouse district. Dominic used to own it quietly in the nineties — a place entirely his own.”
“It’s a trap,” Victoria said, stepping forward. She had met them at the pier with a fresh vehicle, her presence a steadying force in the cold.
“We know,” Alistair said, his jaw clenched. “We’re going anyway. There’s no other choice.”
“We need a strategy,” Skye said, her mind already working. “We can’t just walk in blind.”
“I have a plan,” Liam said. He looked at Skye, his eyes intense. “We go in hard. But we need a distraction — something to pull his focus.”
𝘙𝘦а𝘥 𝗐𝗂𝘁𝘩о𝗎𝘁 𝗂𝘯𝗍𝘦𝘳𝗋𝗎р𝗍𝗶𝗈𝘯𝘀 𝗈𝗻 𝘨al𝘯𝘰𝗏𝗲𝗅𝘀.с𝗼𝘮
“I’ll go in the front,” Skye said, her voice leaving no room for argument.
“No,” Liam and Alistair said in unison.
“Listen to me,” Skye said, holding up a hand. “Dominic thinks I’m just a Sterling girl. He underestimates me. If I walk in the front door with the drive, his attention will be entirely on me. That gives you time to breach from the skylight and get in undetected.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Liam growled, his fists clenched.
“It’s the only way to get Julian out without him being shot the second we kick the door down,” Skye pressed. “I can stall him. Buy you the time you need.”
Liam looked at Alistair. A silent question passed between them. Alistair gave a slow, reluctant nod.
“Five minutes,” Liam said, gripping Skye’s shoulders. “If we’re not there in five minutes, you get out. Understand?”
“Understood,” Skye said, holding his gaze steadily.
“Parker.” Alistair turned to the hacker, his voice firm. “You stay in the van. Monitor the comms and hack their security feed. We need eyes inside.”
“On it,” Parker said, already opening his laptop.
They geared up in silence, the metallic clink of weapons and equipment filling the cold air.
It was time to end the Thorne legacy, once and for all.
The Velvet Room smelled of stale cigars and old blood — a lingering scent of forgotten nights and unspoken violence. It was a relic of a bygone era: dark wood, opulent red upholstery, a place steeped in grim history.
Skye walked into the main lounge. Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood floor, the sound carrying through the cavernous room. She held the USB drive in her raised hand, making sure it was visible to anyone watching.
Dominic sat in a high-backed leather chair at the center of the room, a king on his throne. Julian was tied to a chair beside him, unconscious, his head lolling to one side.
“She came alone,” Dominic said, cruel amusement threading through his voice. “Brave. Or stupid.”
“I want to make a deal,” Skye said, stopping ten feet away.