Chapter 41 - The Viper’s Crest
|
I stared at the screen, the high-resolution image of my son burning into my retinas. The sheer audacity of the photograph—taken from my own treeline—sent a spike of pure, unfiltered adrenaline straight to my heart. My tea mug shattered on the wooden verandaboards, the hot liquid pooling around my bare feet, but I didn't feel the heat. I only felt the ice in my veins.
"J.V.," I whispered into the wind. Julian Vance. Arthur's exiled younger brother.
The crest on the PDF document—a silver key intertwined with a coiled viper—was the emblem of the Vance family’s original shadow syndicate, an organization older and infinitely more ruthless than the Iron Vanguard we had dismantled a year ago. My father had spent his entire life trying to outrun them, trying to buy our freedom with their secrets. Now, they were on my doorstep, looking at my son.
I didn't hesitate. I turned on my heel and sprinted into the house, slamming the heavy oak doors shut and engaging the steel deadbolts. I bypassed the standard alarm panel and flipped the hidden biometric scanner hidden behind the hallway mirror.
"Initiate lockdown protocol," I commanded.
Heavy titanium shutters slammed down over the ground floor windows with a deafening sequence of metallic thuds. The house plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the red emergency lighting.
I took the stairs two at a time, my hand automatically dropping to the concealed holster at the small of my back. I burst into Nicolás’s room. He was still sitting by the window, his guitar resting in his lap, looking startled as the steel shutters sealed his view of the outside world.
"Mom? What’s going on?" Nicolás asked, his voice trembling slightly as he stood up.
"Pack your go-bag, Nico. Right now," I ordered, my voice steady, betraying none of the panic threatening to choke me. "We're leaving."
"But I have school tomorrow—"
May you like
"I said now, Nicolás!" I barked, harsher than I intended.
I softened my gaze, stepping forward to grip his shoulders. "We have a ghost problem. And the ghosts just proved they know where we live. Get your bag. We have exactly three minutes before I blow the hard drives."
