CHAPTER 3 — THE HUNTER RETURNS
CHAPTER 3 — THE HUNTER RETURNS
The man in the raincoat did not move.
Neither did Lily.
For one endless heartbeat, they stared at each other in the dim maintenance corridor beneath the Mercer estate.
The emergency light overhead flickered weakly, throwing long shadows across the concrete walls.
Lily's knees were scraped raw from crawling through the narrow tunnel. She clutched the stolen phone so tightly her fingers hurt.
"Daddy..." she whispered.
Marcus answered immediately.
"I'm here."
"There's... there's a man."
The stranger tilted his head after hearing Marcus's voice through the speaker.
Then, unexpectedly, he raised both hands.
"I won't hurt you."
His voice was quiet.
Professional.
Almost gentle.
Lily wasn't convinced.
Marcus wasn't either.
"Who are you?" Marcus demanded.
The man looked directly at the phone.
"My name doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
"I work for Vincent Russo."
Marcus's eyes narrowed inside the private jet.
Only three people in the world still knew the emergency access tunnels beneath the Mercer mansion.
Marcus.
The architect who had built them.
Vincent.
"Prove it."
The stranger reached into his coat slowly.
Lily took one frightened step backward.
Instead of a weapon, he removed an old silver coin.
One side carried the Mercer family crest.
The other bore a tiny scratch shaped like a crescent moon.
Marcus recognized it instantly.
Twenty years ago he had given identical coins to the six men who had once protected him with their lives.
Only one was still alive.
Vincent.
"What's your name?" Marcus asked again.
"Gabriel."
Marcus relaxed—but only slightly.
"Take my daughter out of that house."
Gabriel nodded.
"We have six men inside already."
"Six?"
"We expected trouble."
Upstairs...
Cassandra had stopped pretending.
Her expensive heels clicked sharply across the marble floor as she barked orders.
"Lock every gate!"
"Cut neighborhood power if you have to!"
"I want every room searched!"
House staff scattered in terror.
Most had never seen the elegant socialite lose control.
Wells hurried beside her.
"The security team can't find her."
"Then they're useless."
"They're checking thermal cameras."
"They're idiots."
Her mask of sophistication was gone.
In its place stood a woman driven by panic.
Not because Lily had escaped.
Because Lily knew too much.
Forty-five million dollars stolen.
Human trafficking.
Federal corruption.
Every secret depended on one frightened little girl disappearing forever.
Halfway across the Atlantic...
Marcus sat alone in the jet's conference room.
Daniel quietly approached.
"Sir..."
Marcus never looked up.
"What?"
"We've confirmed the transfer."
"The forty-five million?"
Daniel nodded.
"It moved through three shell companies before arriving in an account controlled by Victor Salazar."
Marcus slowly lifted his eyes.
The name landed like thunder.
Victor Salazar.
The most feared trafficking broker on the West Coast.
He never dealt directly with children.
He supplied buyers.
Governments had hunted him for fifteen years.
No convictions.
No witnesses.
Until now.
Daniel swallowed.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"The buyer isn't American."
Marcus's stomach tightened.
"Who?"
Daniel slid a tablet across the table.
A passport photograph appeared.
Female.
Elegant.
Late fifties.
Owner of several orphanages across Central America.
Interpol had investigated her five times.
Nothing had ever stuck.
"She lands in Los Angeles in four hours."
Marcus closed the tablet.
Four hours.
His daughter had become merchandise.
Someone had placed a price on her life.
Back beneath the mansion...
Gabriel led Lily through another narrow service hallway.
"Stay behind me."
She obeyed without speaking.
He carried no flashlight.
Only a suppressed pistol.
The hallway eventually opened into an underground wine cellar.
Rows of priceless bottles stretched into darkness.
Gabriel stopped suddenly.
His hand shot backward, signaling silence.
Footsteps.
Several.
Voices.
"They couldn't have gone far."
"Check downstairs."
Flashlights swept across the cellar.
Three armed guards.
Gabriel whispered,
"When I say run... you run."
Lily nodded.
"But what about you?"
He smiled faintly.
"I've survived worse employers."
The guards came closer.
One noticed movement.
"There!"
Gunfire exploded.
Glass shattered.
Thousands of dollars worth of vintage wine burst across the stone floor.
Gabriel fired twice.
Both guards dropped instantly.
The third ran for cover.
Lily screamed.
"Run!"
She bolted toward the far staircase.
Behind her bullets ricocheted off concrete walls.
Gabriel stayed behind, buying precious seconds.
Upstairs...
Cassandra heard the shots.
"They found her!"
She rushed toward the basement.
Before she reached the stairs, another voice stopped her.
Cold.
Calm.
Unexpected.
"You should leave."
She turned.
Vincent Russo stood inside her foyer as though he owned the house.
Six heavily armed men surrounded him.
No alarms had sounded.
No cameras had detected them.
They had simply appeared.
Cassandra stared.
"...How did you get inside?"
Vincent smiled.
May you like
"I helped design this place."
Her blood ran cold.
