The orchestra transitioned seamlessly into a haunting, incredibly slow classical waltz. Kieran placed his large, warm hand perfectly flat against the bare skin of Aria's lower spine. He captured her other hand securely in his own. He guided her smoothly onto the absolute center of the polished marble dance floor.
"You are trembling," Kieran observed quietly as he pulled her flush against his chest.
"I am calculating," Aria corrected him immediately, keeping her gaze locked on the collar of his crisp white shirt. "Being surrounded by three hundred armed murderers requires a certain level of intense mental focus."
"Look at me," Kieran commanded softly.
Aria lifted her chin, meeting his piercing blue eyes.
"Tell me exactly what you know about the security cameras in this room," Kieran instructed, spinning her flawlessly to the heavy rhythm of the cellos. "You said someone inside this cartel stole your father's proprietary coding. How does it operate?"
"The panning sequence is not standard," Aria whispered, leaning her face incredibly close to his neck so the surrounding cartel couples could not hear them. "A normal security camera sweeps in a continuous, predictable arc. These specific cameras utilize a randomized digital stutter. They move exactly three seconds to the right, micro pause for internal calibration, and then sweep one second back to the left. The blind spot is exactly four seconds wide, located directly beneath the glass lens."
"Four seconds," Kieran repeated, a dark, incredibly proud smile curving his lips. "That is an absolute eternity for a ghost. And that is exactly your window of opportunity tonight."
"My window for what?" Aria asked, her heart rate accelerating rapidly in her chest.
"For stealing back your little blonde friend," Kieran stated entirely matter of factly.
Aria stumbled slightly over her expensive high heels. Kieran caught her instantly, his grip on her waist tightening with absolute possessive strength.
"I cannot do that alone," Aria breathed out in pure shock, looking up at him. "I do not know the physical layout of this massive mansion."
"You are the Architect's exclusive bloodline," Kieran murmured deeply, his eyes burning with intense conviction. "You belong in the shadows just as much as he did. You survived my chief enforcer. You decrypted my secure mainframe. You are not a helpless captive anymore, Aria. You are a highly capable operative. And tonight, you are going to finally prove it to yourself."
"What exactly is your plan?" she asked, the intoxicating rush of pure adrenaline finally overpowering her lingering fear.
"I am going to cause a massive, very public scene," Kieran explained smoothly as they glided across the marble floor. "I will publicly demand Hector Vargas take me to his private office to discuss purchasing the Architect's encrypted vault data. Vargas is far too greedy to ever refuse a direct negotiation for that ledger. He will take his elite guard detail upstairs with him to show off his power. The basement holding cells will be running on a bare skeleton crew."
"How much time will I have down there?" Aria questioned, her mind already mapping out the nearest exit points she had seen on their way inside.
"Exactly fifteen minutes," Kieran answered, his expression turning completely lethal. "Slip through the service corridors. Count the camera sweeps. Find the girl. If you are caught by anyone, you press the center diamond on your throat. My tactical men will breach these walls and slaughter every single breathing soul in this building to get you out safely. Do you trust me?"
Aria looked deeply into the eyes of the ruthless underworld king. The answer terrified her, but it was the absolute truth.
"I trust you," Aria whispered.
"Then let us begin," Kieran said softly.
Kieran stopped dancing abruptly right in the dead center of the crowded ballroom. The surrounding couples paused, parting quickly to give the highly dangerous kingpin plenty of space. Kieran turned his attention directly toward the cartel boss standing by the grand bar.
"Hector!" Kieran called out loudly. His booming voice echoed sharply over the classical music, silencing the entire room instantly.
Vargas stiffened, setting his crystal glass down hard on the wooden bar. "What do you want now, Cross?"
"Your masquerade party is incredibly boring," Kieran declared with a cold, mocking smirk. "I am entirely tired of staring at these pathetic sycophants. I came here for actual business. Take me to your private study right now. Let us discuss the exact financial terms of the Architect's encrypted ledger."
A loud wave of shocked gasps rippled through the cartel elites. The vault was the most coveted secret in the entire criminal underworld, and Kieran was openly offering to negotiate for it.
Vargas's eyes widened with pure, unadulterated greed. He completely forgot about his earlier public humiliation.
"Follow me upstairs immediately," Vargas agreed eagerly, gesturing for his ten heavily armed personal guards to flank them. "We have much to discuss in private."
Kieran cast one final, intensely meaningful look toward Aria before following Vargas toward the grand staircase.
The second the crowd swarmed forward to gossip about the shocking development, Aria stepped backward. She blended perfectly into the dark shadows of the heavy velvet curtains lining the ballroom walls. She slipped silently through a concealed wooden door labeled strictly for catering staff.
The service corridor was dimly lit and completely empty. Aria looked up at the ceiling. A security camera was mounted in the far corner. She took a deep, steadying breath, watching the small red light blink. One, two, three. It paused. Aria sprinted silently forward, pressing her back flat against the wall directly underneath the lens.
She moved through the massive estate like a complete phantom. The paralyzing fear of being a captive was completely gone. She embraced the lethal thrill of the Syndicate world. She was finally taking control of her own fate.
As she reached the bottom of the concrete stairwell leading into the basement, Aria stopped abruptly. The holding area was filled with large wooden shipping crates. She narrowed her eyes, reading the black stencil painted on the side of the nearest heavy box. It displayed a black scorpion intertwined with a white phantom skull.
Aria felt a terrifying chill run down her spine. The white phantom was the exact symbol of the Ghost Syndicate. The shadow assassins who had breached Kieran's estate yesterday were being directly funded and heavily armed by Hector Vargas. This was a massive, highly organized conspiracy to destroy the Cross empire.
"Hey," a rough voice barked out from the dark hallway ahead. "You are not supposed to be down here in the cellar."
Aria turned slowly to face a large cartel guard. He held a lit cigarette in one hand and rested his other hand casually on his holstered pistol.
"I am completely lost," Aria lied smoothly, putting on her best terrified expression. "Mr. Vargas sent me down here to fetch a very specific vintage wine for his private meeting with Mr. Cross."
"The wine cellar is completely locked," the guard grunted, stepping closer to inspect her expensive red silk gown. "And you do not look like a catering maid to me."
"I assure you, I am just following direct orders," Aria said, taking a timid step toward him.
"Come here," the guard demanded, reaching his thick hand out to grab her bare shoulder.
Aria did not hesitate for a single second. She dropped her innocent facade entirely. As his hand reached forward, she grabbed his thick wrist, twisted her torso rapidly, and drove her elbow brutally into his throat.
The guard choked violently, dropping his cigarette. Before he could even attempt to draw his weapon, Aria swept his legs entirely out from under him. He slammed his head hard against the concrete floor and went completely limp.
Aria stood over the unconscious mercenary, breathing heavily. She quickly searched his pockets and pulled out a heavy ring of iron keys. She turned around and sprinted down the damp corridor toward the heavy steel door of the holding cells.