Chapter 2 - The Black Box
Sal hurried back through the crowd a minute later, carrying a heavy matte-black Pelican case. His forehead was slick with sweat, his usual swagger entirely replaced by animal panic.
“Here, Boss,” Sal muttered, dropping the case onto the polished mahogany floor beside the gift.
Dominic popped the latches of the case, pulling out a tactical fiber-optic scope and an electronic frequency scanner. He didn't rush. Every movement was calculated, precise, the muscle memory of a man who had survived three decades in the Philadelphia underworld.
He slid the thin fiber-optic cable beneath the heavy cardboard seam of the gift box, peering into the dark interior through the digital eyepiece.
The screen flickered to life.
Inside the mountain of decorative packing peanuts sat a secondary object wrapped in black electrical tape. A digital LED readout pulsed with a steady, glowing amber light: 00:04:15.
Four minutes and fifteen seconds.
A collective gasp sucked the remaining air out of the room as several guests peering over Dominic’s shoulder caught sight of the monitor reflection.
“It’s C-4,” Dominic said, his voice dropping into a register so cold it felt like liquid nitrogen. “Triggered by a light-sensitive optical relay. The moment Sophie pulled the ribbon and opened the lid, the flash of light would have detonated enough high explosives to level this entire wing.”
Sal staggered backward, clutching his chest. “Who... who could have gotten past our perimeter? The gate guards, the security sweeps—everything was locked down!”
Dominic stood up slowly. He didn't look at the bomb. He looked at Sal.
“You personally oversaw the security roster for today, Sal,” Dominic noted quietly. “Every delivery, every contractor badge, every background check. You signed off on all of it.”
Sal’s face drained of color. “Boss—are you saying—you think I would let someone plant a bomb where my own niece is standing? That’s insane!”
“Is it?” Dominic’s eyes narrowed. “Lucy said the man was in the hallway behind the kitchen. The only people with clearance to the private service corridor during a lockdown are our internal captains... and the head of security.”
May you like
Before Sal could draw his weapon, Dominic’s hand moved with blinding speed. He grabbed Sal by the throat, slamming him backward against the marble pillar with enough force to crack the stone.
---
