Chapter 5 - The Shadow at the Perimeter
By Thursday evening, the atmosphere in the Greenwich mansion had shifted from hostile resistance to a grudging, fragile alliance.
Evan had actually asked Nia for help with his algebra homework. Caleb had apologized—in a very low, mumbled grunt—for tracking mud across the foyer. And Luke had proudly shown her his dinosaur sticker collection without hiding behind his blanket.
Nia was sitting at the kitchen island around 8:00 PM, organizing the boys’ school schedules for the following week, when she heard a low, unfamiliar rumble outside the front gates.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy boots crunching on the gravel driveway.
Nia stood up immediately, walking over to the tall kitchen window that looked out toward the front courtyard. Through the iron-framed glass, she saw three unfamiliar men in dark leather jackets standing near the front steps, arguing heatedly with one of Adrian’s security guards.
She reached for her phone, but before she could dial, the kitchen door swung open.
Adrian walked in, pulling his suit jacket off and tossing it over the back of a chair. His expression was like granite—cold, sharp, and entirely devoid of the warmth he had shown at breakfast.
“Go upstairs with the boys, Nia,” he ordered, his voice dropping into a dangerous, clipped register.
“What’s happening?” Nia asked, holding her ground by the counter.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” Adrian said, turning toward the heavy oak door leading to the study. “Lock the interior doors. Do not come out.”
“I’m not a piece of antique china you can just lock in a cupboard when company arrives, Mr. Vale,” Nia snapped, her clinical irritation overriding her common sense. “If there are armed men shouting on your front steps, I have a right to know if my life is in danger while I’m working under your roof.”
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Adrian stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, his slate-gray eyes locking onto hers with a ferocity that could have melted steel.
Before he could answer, the front security buzzer blared through the house, followed by the sharp, undeniable sound of a gunshot echoing from the outer gatehouse.
