Chapter 7 - UNMASKING THE THREAT
The atmosphere in the stable turned icy cold. The young guard paled, stepping back away from Elena as if touching her would execute him on the spot.
"Mr... Mr. Salvatore," the guard stammered, his confidence evaporating in a second. "I was... I was just checking on the animal's condition. He was acting aggressively—"
"Pick it up," Alessandro commanded softly.
The guard hesitated, then bent down with trembling hands and retrieved the dropped syringe from the pine shavings, holding it out toward Owen Cain.
Owen took the vial, examined the label under his flashlight, and looked up at Alessandro with a grave expression. "Concentrated paralyzing agent, sir. Unmarked. This wasn't issued from our medical supply."
Alessandro walked forward slowly, stopping directly in front of the young guard. The silence in the barn was deafening, broken only by the steady rhythm of Midnight’s hooves shifting behind the wooden stall door.
"You were bribed," Alessandro said, his tone chillingly level. "Who paid you?"
"Nobody, sir! I swear!" the guard panicked, tears brimming in his eyes. "I was just angry! The horse hurt me—"
"Do not lie to me, Miller," Alessandro said softly. "You have been on my payroll for six months. Your mother's medical debts in Sacramento were quietly cleared three weeks ago. I know every dollar that moves near my people. I gave you a chance to prove your loyalty. Instead, you attempted to sabotage an asset under my roof."
Alessandro turned his back on the guard and looked at Owen. "Remove him from the property. Hand him over to our associates in San Francisco. He will answer every question they have regarding who provided that substance."
"Right away, sir," Owen said, grabbing the guard firmly by the collar and forcing him out of the barn. The guard’s desperate pleas echoed down the driveway before fading into the night.
Alessandro stood alone with Elena in the quiet aisle.
"You have keen instincts, Elena," Alessandro said, turning his cold gaze back toward her. "Most people would have stayed in their beds."
"I cared about the horse, sir," Elena said quietly, resting a hand on her stomach. "He didn't deserve to be poisoned."
Alessandro studied her in the low orange light. "You carry yourself with a strange kind of courage. You have no money, no security, no family here, yet you stand up to armed men without hesitation. What are you hiding from, Elena?"
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Elena’s heart skipped a beat, but she kept her face carefully impassive. "I am not hiding, Mr. Salvatore. I am just trying to build a safe life for my child."
Alessandro smiled faintly—a rare, brief expression that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We all seek safety, Elena. But in this world, safety is something you must claim with power."
