Page 134 of Auctioned Innocence
“Your parents’ security detail was compromised,” Joey Castillo reports in a low voice. He’s been with our family for over a decade, one of Dad’s most trusted lieutenants. “Lorenzo’s people got to the safe house first. They knew exactly where to look, exactly when the shift change would happen.”
My heart beats erratically. “Are Mom and Dad?—”
“Safe. Mario got them out in time, but it was close.” Marco runs a hand through his hair, stress evident in every line of his body. “Too close. The safe house burned to the ground, and three of our men didn’t make it out.”
The knowledge sits heavy. Three more people dead because of Lorenzo’s betrayal. Three more families that will never be whole again.
“Then we stop running,” I say, moving to the central computer terminal. “Lorenzo wants us scattered, defensive, reacting to his moves instead of making our own.”
“By doing what?” Marco demands. “Walking into his trap?”
“By setting our own.” Dante moves to study the displays over my shoulder, his presence steady and grounding even in this underground fortress. “Sofia’s right. We have something Lorenzo doesn’t expect.”
“What’s that?” Marco asks.
“Us.” I meet both their eyes, seeing the same determination I feel reflected back at me. “Working together. All of us. Not running, not hiding—fighting back as a unified force with full access to everything Dad built.”
The awkwardness between Marco and Dante is palpable, but when I start pulling up schematics and intelligence files, they both lean in to listen.
An hour later, we’re fully operational and the scope of our resources becomes clear. Marco coordinates with field teams across the city, positioning assets and gathering intelligence with the practiced efficiency of someone who’s been preparing for this kind of war his entire life. Each team reports in with seamless coordination—movements spotted, positions secured, weapons readied.
Dante works his network of contacts, the shadowy figures who exist in the spaces between legal and illegal, gathering intelligence that won’t show up on any official channels. His secure phone barely stops ringing as informants, fixers, and old associates feed him real-time updates about Viktor’s operations, Dominic’s movements, and Lorenzo’s coordination efforts.
“Viktor’s men are moving,” Dante reports, studying incoming intelligence on multiple screens. “Three teams, approaching from the north. Military contractors, not street thugs. They’re using standard urban assault protocols, coordinated timing, proper equipment.”
“Let them come.” Marco checks his weapons. “We’re ready for?—”
“Wait.” Something in the security feed catches my eye, an inconsistency that makes my blood run cold. “That’s—that’s not right.”
Both men move to look over my shoulder as I enhance the image. On the screen, guards patrol the estate’s eastern border—guards wearing our colors, carrying our equipment, moving in our patrol patterns.
“Those guards should be with Mom and Dad at their secure location,” I realize, cross-referencing the duty roster with the visual feeds. “But they’re here. Which means either our parents are unprotected, or these aren’t our men.”
“Lorenzo’s already inside our systems,” Marco says, understanding immediately. “He’s not just feeding us false data—he’s actively manipulating our security feeds to hide his people’s positions.”
“How?” I demand, my fingers already flying over the keyboard as I trace the intrusion. “I changed all the protocols after we discovered his initial breach. Updated every encryption key, modified every access point.”
“The Council override.” The final piece clicks into place as I dig deeper into the system logs. “Every family has emergency access protocols that supersede individual security measures. They were designed to allow coordinated responses during territory wars, but Lorenzo didn’t just get Council support for tomorrow’s tribunal.”
I pull up the access logs, and my stomach seizes.
“He got their master security credentials,” I finish, horror dawning as I realize the implications. “Which means he can walk right into any of our systems, anywhere, any time. He’s been inside our networks for months, maybe longer.”
“Not anymore.” I crack my knuckles and settle in for what I know will be the most complex hack of my life. “He thinkshe knows all my tricks. Thinks he taught me everything I know about systems and security.”
“But?” Marco prompts, though he’s already moving to defensive positions, recognizing the signs that an attack is imminent.
“But he underestimated what I learned surviving the auction house.” My smile is bitter as I start building countermeasures in real-time. “When I had nothing but time and a desperate need to find weaknesses in every system around me.”
The work is intricate, requiring me to think like Lorenzo while building defenses he won’t expect. I create false data streams to confuse his intelligence gathering, set up honeypot access points that will alert me to his attempts at infiltration, and begin constructing a digital fortress around our real communications.
“Team Two, report status.” James’s voice crackles through the comms, and something in his tone makes every instinct I have scream danger.
I freeze, fingers hovering over the keyboard as I cross-reference his reported position with the visual feeds I’m monitoring in real-time. The security logs show Team Two stationed at the north gate, maintaining standard patrol patterns and reporting all clear.
But I’m looking at feeds showing that same team at the east entrance, moving with purpose toward the main house.
“James?” Marco frowns at the discrepancy I’m highlighting on his screen. “What’s your actual position?”
