Chapter 7: The Viper's Leash
Downtown, in the sterile, fluorescent-lit interrogation room of the city's 12th precinct, Cassandra Montgomery sat shivering in a cheap orange jumpsuit.
The flawless blowout was ruined, her blonde hair hanging in greasy strands across her face. The designer makeup had washed away, leaving her looking hollow, desperate, and remarkably ordinary.
The heavy metal door clanked open. Cassandra snapped her head up, expecting to see the detective who had been interrogating her for the past twelve hours.
Instead, a man in an immaculately tailored charcoal suit stepped into the room. He was tall, with slicked-back dark hair and eyes as cold as dead stones. As he adjusted his silk tie, the collar of his shirt shifted, revealing the tail end of a bright green serpent tattooed on his neck.
Cassandra scrambled backward in her metal chair, the legs screeching against the linoleum floor. "Viktor," she choked out.
"Sit down, Cassandra," Viktor said softly. His accent was thick, Russian, and dripping with quiet menace.
He didn't look at the two-way mirror. He didn't care about the cameras. He owned the men watching on the other side.
"I... I can explain," Cassandra stammered, her chest heaving in panic. "Marcus got suspicious. He put cameras in the house! I didn't know!"
"You let your temper dictate your actions," Viktor said, pacing slowly around the small metal table. "You abused the child. You drew the eyes of the world onto a house that was supposed to remain quiet. And worst of all... you let Marcus Vale escape."
"He has the drive!" Cassandra pleaded, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I know he does! If you just let me out of here, I can find him! I know how he thinks!"
Viktor stopped directly behind her chair. He leaned down, his mouth right next to her ear. The scent of mint and stale cigarette smoke washed over her.
"My men raided the house, Cassandra. He used the subterranean conduit. He is gone. And because of your stupidity, a civilian tech billionaire is currently sitting on a drive that can destroy my entire family's legacy."
"I can fix it," she begged, sobbing openly now. "Please, Viktor. Don't kill me. I know about the cabin."
Viktor paused. "What cabin?"
"Marcus has an off-the-grid property. He never goes there, but he keeps it fully stocked. I saw the tax documents when I was snooping in his home office for the drive. He's paranoid. If he ran, that's where he went. I can take you there."
Viktor stared at her for a long, agonizing moment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy silver key. He tossed it onto the metal table. It clattered loudly.
"The guards outside have been paid. Your charges have been temporarily misplaced due to a 'clerical error,'" Viktor said smoothly. "You will walk out the back door. There is a car waiting."
Cassandra grabbed the key, her hands shaking violently. "Thank you. Thank you, Viktor."
"Do not thank me," Viktor replied, stepping toward the door. "You have one last chance, Cassandra. You will go to this cabin. You will retrieve the drive. And you will personally eliminate Marcus Vale and the child."
He opened the door, pausing to look back at her one last time.
"If you fail again, Cassandra, the police will be the least of your worries. I will make sure you wish you were dead long before I allow you to die."
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The door clicked shut. Cassandra sat alone in the quiet room, her fists clenched around the key. The fear was still there, but as she thought of Marcus—the man who had humiliated her, stripped her of her wealth, and ruined her life—the fear slowly morphed into a burning, toxic hatred.
She wasn't just going to get the drive. She was going to make him pay.
