CHAPTER 3: The Blackout
CHAPTER 3: The Blackout
The shrill scream of the fire alarm tore through the darkness.
Red emergency lights flickered for barely two seconds before dying completely.
Every screen in my penthouse went black.
Including the conference call.
"No," Grace's voice crackled one last time through the laptop speakers before the connection vanished.
Silence.
Then—
The unmistakable sound of elevator doors grinding open somewhere down the hallway.
Marcus didn't hesitate.
"Everyone move."
His voice carried the calm authority of someone who had spent years surviving situations far worse than this.
He grabbed the flash drive from my laptop before I could react and slipped it into a small metal case inside his jacket.
"If they get inside," he said quietly, "they do not get this."
Natalie was shaking so violently she could barely stand.
"They found me."
Marcus looked directly at her.
"No."
"They followed you."
Her face collapsed.
She already knew he was right.
My phone still had battery.
Cell service remained active.
Someone had disabled only the building's electrical systems.
Not the network.
Marcus immediately opened the security app.
Every hallway camera.
Offline.
Every lobby camera.
Offline.
Parking garage.
Offline.
Only one camera remained active.
The rooftop emergency camera.
Marcus enlarged the image.
Three figures in black tactical clothing stepped onto the roof.
One carried a long equipment case.
Another placed something beside the ventilation system.
Marcus cursed under his breath.
"They're professionals."
I stared.
"Burglars?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"Extraction team."
"They're controlling every exit."
A notification suddenly appeared on my phone.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
A video message.
No caller ID.
No name.
Just one sentence.
Watch.
I pressed play.
The recording showed Brandon sitting comfortably inside a leather chair.
He looked freshly showered.
Relaxed.
Almost cheerful.
Behind him stood Margaret.
Holding a glass of champagne.
Brandon smiled directly into the camera.
"I know you're watching this, Liv."
"You always did love evidence."
He laughed.
"I suppose Natalie finally found you."
He leaned forward.
"You think that flash drive saves you."
"It doesn't."
Margaret smiled beside him.
"You've already lost."
Brandon continued.
"The FBI will receive anonymous evidence this afternoon."
"They'll discover thirty-eight million dollars in fraudulent transfers."
"They'll discover every company belongs to Olivia Bennett."
"They'll discover every signature is yours."
He shrugged.
"You'll spend twenty years explaining something nobody will believe."
The recording ended.
Natalie burst into tears.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm so sorry."
Marcus remained strangely calm.
"He's lying."
I looked at him.
"About what?"
"He said the FBI receives anonymous evidence this afternoon."
Marcus smiled slightly.
"Meaning they haven't received it yet."
Grace called back on audio only.
"I got disconnected."
"What happened?"
I quickly explained everything.
Grace became very quiet.
Then she asked Natalie one question.
"Did Brandon ever keep physical records?"
Natalie nodded immediately.
"Always."
"Where?"
"He never trusted digital copies."
"He kept originals inside Hawthorne Financial."
Grace inhaled sharply.
"Then we still have a chance."
Marcus frowned.
"Chance?"
Grace answered.
"If we recover the originals before federal investigators receive forged evidence..."
"We prove Brandon manufactured everything."
A violent bang echoed through the hallway.
Someone slammed against my apartment door.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Marcus moved silently toward the entrance.
He checked beneath the door.
Shadow.
More than one person.
Heavy boots.
Professional spacing.
No voices.
Only discipline.
Another loud impact shook the reinforced frame.
Natalie whispered,
"They're here."
Marcus looked toward me.
"No."
"They're testing."
The banging stopped.
Completely.
Almost more frightening than before.
Then my phone vibrated again.
A text message.
Open the door.
Nobody gets hurt.
Marcus smiled.
"They're getting impatient."
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The explosion came from somewhere below us.
The floor trembled.
Glass rattled.
Car alarms erupted outside.
Marcus looked toward the windows.
"They hit the transformer."
Smoke began rising from the street.
People flooded onto sidewalks in panic.
Fire trucks screamed toward the building.
The attackers hadn't come simply to steal evidence.
They had created a city-wide emergency.
Police resources would now be focused outside.
Exactly where Brandon wanted them.
Marcus pulled a folded blueprint from his backpack.
I blinked.
"You carry building plans?"
"I prepare."
He spread them across the dining table.
"There."
His finger stopped beneath my apartment.
"A private maintenance stairwell."
"I inspected this building after you hired me."
"It connects directly to the underground parking garage."
Natalie stared.
"I never knew that existed."
Marcus nodded.
"That's why we'll survive."
As he lifted the blueprint—
Someone laughed.
Inside my apartment.
Every one of us froze.
The sound hadn't come from outside.
It came from behind us.
Near the guest bedroom.
Marcus slowly drew his pistol.
Nobody moved.
Another laugh.
Soft.
Confident.
Then a man's voice echoed through the dark penthouse.
"You really should have checked every room before locking the door."
May you like
My blood turned to ice.
Someone was already inside.
