Page 28 of Desperate Victory

I would never make that mistake.

The codes got me into the first wine vault. Then into the second, and finally the last two opened the door behind the wine rack that took me into the security room. Quite paranoid in the placement.

I approved.

Inside, the room had several dark monitors but one touch of the mouse and they populated. Camera angles for every single room, several on the ballroom, the courtyard—the bedrooms.

Sick fucker watched his own son?

Another confirmation that he needed to go. I found Adam and Lainey in the kitchen. All but two of the staff had gone. Unfortunately, those two would be leaving the same way as their employer.

Now, where was Graham senior?

Of course, he didn’t have the cameras in his office on an auto feed. Probably didn’t want the wife spying on him. Though that might require Dinah Graham to think beyond the next major event.

There he was…

The camera was dormant until I activated it. He sat behind his desk, tie and jacket free, the collar of his shirt unbuttoned and a large glass of bourbon or maybe it was brandy.

He wasn’t on the phone or with anyone, he was studying something on his computer with a scowl on his face. Straightening, I swept the room around me.

No cameras in here. That was a blindspot. Returning to the screens, I spotted Milo’s team heading toward the main building from the security cottage. Another sweep of the grounds and I identified eight more.

Raising my phone, I texted everyone to give them the locations of the targets, as well as the primary. That done, I began shutting off the recordings one at a time. If Ezra wanted to turn the system back on later, we’d overhaul it.

For now, what happened next was for no one’s consumption. Once I cut the feeds, I cut the hardline. Then I paused to stare into the room next to the server boxes.

A wall of tapes. Discs. Other hard recording media.

They were labeled.

I took Benedict as soon as I spotted it. Cavendish was a shelf below. Nothing on Reed. Harper probably scared him. I recognized nearly all of the names on these shelves. If he had this much physical media…

We had another task for Fletcher Reed when this was done. For now, I stored the discs in the inner pocket of my jacket and sealed it up.

Upstairs, I found Liam and Ezra in the kitchen with Lainey and Adam. Our two members of staff were no longer visible. I trusted them to have handled it.

“Milo on the way?” I asked.

“He’s meeting us,” Adam said, then flicked a look at Ezra. “You can stay. You don’t have to watch what comes next.”

For all that this had troubled him, Ezra straightened and his jaw set. “No, I do. Because he’s used the two of you as leverage for a long time. I want to see him learn his lesson.” He took another deep breath. “I need this.”

“Then you’ll have it,” I told him. “Shall we…?”

Chapter

Nine

LAINEY

“Stay sharp,” Pretty Boy commented. “We have four unaccounted for.”

“They’re probably with Dad or in his outer office,” Ezra said with a sigh. “If he’s brought the guards in that close, he’s worried about something.”

Adam shot him a look but Ezra shook his head once.

“It might be Oksana’s family. We didn’t bring him into those negotiations and he made them promises.”