Chapter 3 - The Morning After
Sunlight cut through the heavy drapes of the guest suite, painting long golden bars across the Persian rug. Audrey woke with a start, her muscles stiff and aching from her battle with the Mississippi current.
When she sat up, she found a fresh set of clothes—neatly folded jeans, a soft cotton sweater, and a pair of clean sneakers—resting on the edge of the bed, along with a note in bold, sharp handwriting: Join me in the solarium when you wake up.
Audrey dressed quickly and followed the sound of clinking silverware down the wide corridor.
The solarium was a breathtaking glass-domed room filled with exotic ferns and tropical plants, overlooking a sparkling courtyard fountain. Leo was sitting at a small table, nibbling on scrambled eggs and toast. He looked much better in the daylight; his dark hair was brushed neatly, and the color had returned to his cheeks, though he still had a faint bruise along his jawline.
Dorian sat across from him, reading a tablet. When Audrey entered, Leo looked up immediately, his large brown eyes widening with recognition.
“You’re the lady from the water,” Leo whispered, his voice small and hesitant.
Audrey offered a gentle smile, pulling out a chair a few seats away. “Good morning, Leo. How are you feeling?”
“My ribs hurt when I breathe too deep,” the boy admitted honestly. Then he looked down at his plate. “Thank you for pulling me out. The water was really cold.”
“It was freezing,” Audrey agreed. “I’m Audrey, by the way.”
“I’m Leo.” He paused, glancing nervously toward his father before whispering, “Is my dad going to send me back upstairs?”
Dorian looked up from his tablet. The harsh, intimidating demeanor he had worn the night before vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, aching tenderness as he looked at his son.
“You are never going back in that room, Leo,” Dorian said firmly, setting his tablet aside. He stood up, walked over, and knelt beside the boy’s chair, taking Leo’s small hand in his large one. “You are staying right here with me. But we need to talk about what happened last night. Do you remember how you got out the window?”
Leo’s lower lip began to tremble. He looked down at the table, his fingers twisting the edge of his napkin. “I... I had to.”
“Why, buddy?” Dorian asked softly, his voice a soothing rumble. “Who told you to go out the window?”
Leo squeezed his eyes shut, a tear slipping down his cheek. “The bad man said if I didn't climb down, he would hurt Mrs. Gable. He said he was waiting at the bottom of the trellis.”
Dorian’s entire body went rigid. The air in the solarium dropped ten degrees.
“What bad man, Leo?” Dorian asked, every muscle in his jaw clenched tight.
“The one with the silver ring,” Leo sobbed quietly. “The one who smells like cigar smoke and mint.”
Audrey watched the exchange, her heart aching for the boy. But as she pieced together the details—the locked room, the precision tools, the threat against Mrs. Gable—a terrifying realization settled over her.
This wasn't a random break-in. This was an inside job orchestrated by someone living under Dorian Ashford’s own roof.
“Mr. Ashford,” Audrey said quietly, drawing both of their attentions. “If the window latch was unscrewed from the inside, and someone threatened Mrs. Gable... that means the person who let him out has access to the master security codes.”
Dorian stood up slowly, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, dark light. He looked at Marcus, his head of security, who had just stepped silently into the glass-domed room through the side doors.
“Boss,” Marcus said, his voice grim. “We checked the staff quarters. Julian Vance packed his bags and left through the east perimeter gate at four a.m.”
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Dorian didn't raise his voice. He didn't yell.
He simply said, “Find him. And bring him to me breathing.”
