Chapter 5 - Sparks in the Dark
The suspicion inside the Ashford organization spread like oil on water. Kieran placed his captains under silent surveillance, but Meredith worked quietly in the background, examining physical evidence rather than human loyalties.
Two days later, during a private gala hosted at Kieran’s lakeside estate, the mansion’s primary power grid went dark. The backup generators hummed, but the electronic perimeter locks glitched, trapping two hundred high-profile guests inside the main ballroom.
Panicked whispers rippled through the crowd. Kieran immediately gestured to Bryce to secure Jolene, but his eyes swept the grand room looking for Meredith.
She was already moving toward the basement access door, holding a heavy flashlight she had pulled from a concealed wall panel. Kieran intercepted her at the top of the stone stairs.
"It's an ambush," Kieran said, gripping her arm. "Vance’s men are likely already on the grounds. You stay in the ballroom."
Meredith looked down at his hand on her arm, then up into his dark eyes. "If the primary breaker isn't reset manually within six minutes, the fire suppression system will flood the lower level with carbon dioxide. Your guests won't die from Vance's men; they'll suffocate because your electrical manual hasn't been updated since 1998."
She pulled her arm free, her tone crisp. "I'm going down. Come with me if you want to keep me alive, but don't slow me down."
Kieran let out a dark laugh, drawing a suppressed pistol from his jacket inside pocket. "Lead the way, Lawson."
The basement was a labyrinth of stone arches and vibrating generator pipes. Shadows stretched long and sinister against the damp concrete walls. As they reached the central breaker room, a shadow detached itself from the gloom.
A man in tactical gear stepped out, raising a silenced submachine gun.
Before Kieran could clear his holster, Meredith threw her heavy chrome flashlight with terrifying precision. It struck the gunman square in the throat. The man gagged, dropping his weapon. Meredith surged forward, sweeping his legs out with a clean, devastating military kick, slamming his head against the concrete floor.
She picked up the flashlight, clicked it back on, and pointed it at the breaker panel as if nothing had happened.
"You were a naval engineer?" Kieran asked, stepping over the unconscious assassin, his heart beating faster than it had in years.
"Special Operations Support Battalion," Meredith muttered, flipping three heavy iron switches in rapid succession. "We fixed bridges under fire. This is just noisy."
The lights surged back on throughout the mansion. Above them, the low hum of the ventilation system stabilized. Meredith wiped a smudge of soot from her cheek and looked at Kieran. He was standing less than a foot away, his eyes glowing with an intense, unreadable warmth.
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"You are incredible," Kieran murmured, his hand reaching out instinctively to touch her jawline, his thumb gently clearing a trace of grime near her lip.
Meredith froze at the contact. For four years, she had allowed no one close enough to touch her, building walls far thicker than the steel she repaired. But under Kieran’s steady, fierce gaze, the cold armor around her heart felt suddenly paper-thin.
