“It is too dangerous,” he said.

“If he has the key to the safe, he has already been inside the house,” I told him.

He looked at me, his gray eyes searching my face in the dark.

“The safe in my study requires a biometric scan as well as the physical key,” Alexander said.

“Unless someone bypassed the system from the security office,” I countered.

Alexander’s expression went cold.

“Marcus still had his master override codes,” he muttered.

He opened the gate.

The heavy iron creaked, the sound cutting through the quiet night like a blade.

I followed him out onto the gravel driveway, my shoes crunching softly.

The black sedan’s engine revved slightly as we approached.

The driver’s side window began to slide down, revealing the pale face of Marcus.

He did not look like a security professional anymore.

His collar was open, his hair disheveled, and his eyes darted nervously between us.

“Mr. Hawthorne,” Marcus said, his voice shaky.

“You are trespassing, Marcus,” Alexander said, his voice steady and cold.

“I have something that belongs to you,” Marcus said, holding up the silver key.