Chapter 4 - The Ghost of 2018
"Lock down the main vault and activate the defensive grid," Caleb commanded, his voice ringing with the absolute authority of a man who had built an empire on blood, steel, and unyielding strategy.
"Sir, the grid requires a manual override from the central console in the basement," Marcus warned, his eyes darting toward the security monitors on his tablet. "If they have your old administrative key, they might already have access to the internal network."
"They don't know about the secondary circuit," Caleb said coldly, wheeling himself around the desk. "Marcus, take two men and secure the west corridor. Keep Julian and Lily in the panic room behind the library."
"I'm not leaving you," Julian protested, standing up. "Those men—they're looking for Lily. If they get into this room, you won't be able to stop them alone."
"I am not alone, boy," Caleb said, pulling a heavy, matte-black revolver from a hidden compartment beneath the desk—a weapon he hadn't touched since the night Audrey died. "And neither are you. Now move."
Lily didn't panic. She walked right up to Caleb’s wheelchair, reached out, and gripped the cold steel of his arm. "You're going to make them go away, right?" she asked, her hazel eyes completely devoid of fear.
Caleb looked down into those eyes, seeing the exact reflection of the woman he had mourned for eight agonizing years. "I am going to burn down the world before I let anyone touch you," he whispered fiercely.
May you like
As Marcus hurried Julian and Lily toward the secret panel behind the bookshelves, the heavy oak doors of the study shuddered. A dull, rhythmic pounding echoed from the hallway, followed by the hiss of a plasma torch cutting through the reinforced steel hinges.
Caleb wheeled himself into a defensive position facing the entrance, his grip steady on the weapon. His legs remained motionless beneath the blanket, but the fire inside his chest burned hotter than it had in a decade. The men who had stolen his life, his wife, and his peace were finally stepping out of the shadows. And Caleb Marino was waiting to collect the debt.
