Chapter 64 - 64 The Unseen Trap
Chapter 64: The Unseen Trap
"Stay on him," Dominic replied, his own movements quickening. "Marcus, give me a sitrep."
"Those armed men are standing guard outside the restricted area," Marcus reported. "I\'m in position, but whatever\'s happening down here, it\'s locked tight."
Dominic cursed under his breath. They were spread thin, and any wrong move could blow their cover. He needed to play this smart. "Eleanor, Laura what\'s the status on security feeds? Can you get us eyes on the basement?"
Laura\'s voice crackled through. "We\'ve got partial access, but some of the feeds are encrypted. I\'m working on breaking through the firewalls. Give me a few more minutes."
"Copy that," Dominic replied, his mind racing with possibilities. They were running out of time, and he had a sinking feeling that Zorin wasn\'t the only one with a plan in motion.
As he approached the east wing, Dominic could see Zorin entering the private conference room with several high-profile figures; men and women with enough power to shape global policy with a single signature. The stakes were higher than ever, and Dominic knew they needed something concrete evidence that could expose the Veritas Group and stop their plans in their tracks.
But then, something shifted. A sense of unease crept into Dominic\'s mind. Why had Zorin moved so openly? Why had they been able to track him so easily?
It was a trap. It had to be.
"Alyssa, pull back!" Dominic said urgently into the comms. "They\'re expecting us. This whole thing—it\'s a setup."
But before she could respond, the lights in the east wing flickered, and the entire hotel plunged into darkness.
"Shit," Marcus growled. "They\'ve cut the power."
Dominic\'s heart pounded. They were blind, and they had just walked into the lion\'s den.
"Backup generators will kick in soon, but we\'ve lost camera feeds," Eleanor reported. "We\'re flying blind until I can get systems back online."
"Alyssa?" Dominic called out, his voice tight with worry.
No response.
"Alyssa, do you copy?"
Still nothing.
Panic clawed at Dominic\'s chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. He couldn\'t afford to lose control now. Not when they were so close.
"I\'m going after Alyssa," Dominic said, his voice sharp. "Marcus, get into that restricted area. We need to know what they\'re hiding. Eleanor, Laura get those cameras back online, and fast."
"I\'m on it," Marcus replied, already moving.
Dominic pushed forward, making his way through the now-chaotic hallways. Security personnel were scrambling, but no one seemed to know what was happening. It was the perfect cover for him to slip through undetected.
As he neared the private conference room, Dominic\'s instincts screamed at him to stop. Something was off too quiet, too still.
He carefully opened the door, his eyes scanning the room.
It was empty.
No Zorin, no high-profile figures. Just an empty table and untouched glasses of champagne.
"They\'re gone," Dominic muttered, realization hitting him like a freight train.
"They were never here for a deal," Eleanor\'s voice crackled through the comms. "They were here for you. Dominic, they\'ve known you were coming."
The trap was closing around them, and Dominic knew it.
But then, a faint sound caught his attention the soft shuffle of footsteps from behind.
He spun around just in time to see a shadowy figure moving through the doorway. Before he could react, the figure lunged at him, sending Dominic crashing to the floor.
Pain shot through his body as he fought to regain his footing, but his assailant was relentless, striking with precision and speed. Whoever they were, they were trained highly trained.
Dominic managed to block a punch, twisting the figure\'s arm and sending them tumbling to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, ready to strike, but the figure didn\'t move. The person lay still, and Dominic\'s breath caught in his throat as he saw who it was.
Alyssa.
Her face was pale, her breathing shallow. There was blood on her side, spreading quickly across her clothes.
"No, no, no..." Dominic dropped to his knees, panic setting in. "Alyssa, stay with me."
She looked up at him, her eyes clouded with pain. "It\'s... Zorin... he knew. I tried to warn you..."
Dominic\'s mind raced. Zorin had played them from the beginning. Everything, the summit, the deal, it was all a distraction, a way to lure them in and strike when they least expected it.
"Stay with me, Alyssa," Dominic whispered, his voice breaking as he applied pressure to her wound. "We\'re getting out of here. I\'m not losing you."
But as the hotel\'s backup generators flickered to life, Dominic knew they were running out of time. The final game had begun.
And Zorin had just made his first move.