Chapter 2 - SHADOWS ON THE MARBLE
Mia folded the threat into her pocket and walked slowly to the library doorway, scanning the dimly lit corridor outside. The hallway was lined with oil paintings of long-dead DeLuca patriarchs, but Mia wasn't looking at art. She was looking at the floor.
"Matteo," she said softly, without turning around. "How many people in this house have access to the secondary service tunnels behind the library?"
Matteo stood up, dropping his book onto the side table. "Just Carlo, my father, and the senior maintenance staff. Three people total. Why?"
"Because the dust on the baseboard near the hidden door was disturbed less than five minutes ago," Mia replied, stepping out into the corridor. She pointed to a faint smear near the wainscoting. "And whoever dropped that note was wearing high-grade tactical boots. The tread pattern leaves a distinct waffle shape in fine dust."
Matteo joined her, his tone losing its casual edge. "You can tell all that from a smudge?"
"I notice details," Mia said smoothly. "Now, tell me about Carlo's routine."
"Carlo has been with my father for twenty years," Matteo said, leaning against the wall. "He’s practically family. If you’re suggesting he’s involved, my father will have you thrown through the front gates before midnight."
"I don't care who your father throws," Mia answered, her gaze sweeping the high vaulted ceiling. "I care about keeping you alive until 6:00 AM. Where is the security monitoring room?"
"Basement level, east wing. But Carlo doesn't allow unescorted guards down there."
Mia adjusted her jacket, her lips twisting into a faint, confident smile. "Then it's a good thing I'm terrible at following rules."
They moved together down the broad grand staircase. The estate was deceptively quiet. Outside, a light autumn rain was beginning to fall, tapping against the stained-glass windows. To anyone else, the DeLuca mansion was an impenetrable fortress of stone and steel. To Mia, it was a maze full of blind spots.
As they reached the central hall, Carlo emerged from the dining room, carrying a tablet. He stopped short when he saw Mia walking half a step ahead of Matteo, her eyes continuously sweeping the entry points.
"Miss Callaway," Carlo said, his voice flat and uninviting. "Mr. DeLuca requested that you remain in the living quarters. You don't have authorization to patrol the main hall."
"I have authorization to keep him breathing," Mia said, stopping three feet from him. "Carlo, when was the last time the motion sensors in the east gallery were recalibrated?"
Carlo frowned. "They were checked yesterday. Why?"
"Because line four on your security panel is flickering," Mia said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder toward the archway. "A camera delay of two seconds every forty seconds. That's not a glitch, Carlo. That's a manual loop."
Carlo’s expression hardened. "Are you telling me how to do my job, girl?"
"I'm telling you your perimeter has a blind spot big enough to drive a truck through," Mia said coldly. "And if I noticed it in four hours, whoever wrote that note noticed it a week ago."
She pulled the red-inked paper from her pocket and held it out. Carlo took it, his eyes scanning the four words. His face didn't pale, but his grip on the tablet tightened noticeably.
"Where did you find this?" Carlo demanded.
"In the library. Coming from the hidden passage," Matteo cut in, his voice cold. "Carlo, who had the keys to that passage today?"
"I keep the primary keys on my belt at all times," Carlo snapped, glaring at Mia. "This is a hoax. Someone is trying to test the new guard."
"If it's a test, you're failing," Mia said. "Take us to the monitoring room. Now."
Carlo hesitated for two seconds, calculating whether to fight her authority or comply. Recognizing the stubborn look in Matteo's eyes, he grunted and turned toward the basement stairs. "Follow me. But if you touch the primary console, I'll have the guards escort you out."
They descended into the cool, concrete basement. The security room was packed with dozens of glowing monitors showing live feeds of the gates, gardens, and hallways. A single young guard sat in a swivel chair, drinking coffee.
Mia didn't look at the main screens. She walked straight to the server rack in the corner, her fingers trailing over the thick black cables.
"Hey! Get away from the servers!" Carlo barked.
Mia ignored him. She dropped to one knee—nearly tripping over a loose cable in the process, which caused Carlo to roll his eyes—and peered beneath the bottom rack.
Her eyes narrowed.
Attached to the primary fiber-optic trunk line was a small, black plastic box with a blinking blue LED light.
"Carlo," Mia said, her voice dropping an octave. "What is a signal splitter doing hooked directly into your encrypted feed?"
The young guard at the desk froze. Carlo stared at the small device, his jaw dropping.
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"That... that shouldn't be there," Carlo stammered.
"Someone inside this house is broadcasting your live camera feeds to an outside receiver," Mia said, standing up and dusting off her knees. "Which means the Ferrettis aren't planning to break in. They already know every step your guards are taking tonight."
