“Including Luca,” Sofia said, looking up with red eyes. “He was here this afternoon. He claimed he wanted to discuss the docks, but he spent twenty minutes alone in the study waiting for Alexander.”

Marcus frowned, his fingers tapping against the frame of his pistol.

“Luca has been quiet lately,” Marcus said. “Too quiet. He is organizing something.”

A sudden vibration rattled the small wooden table.

It was Marcus’s phone.

He picked it up, his face darkening as he read the screen.

“What is it?” Sofia asked, standing up quickly.

“The main gate security just went offline,” Marcus said.

He stepped back to the window, staring intensely into the darkness.

“They are not responding to my radio calls,” Marcus added, pulling his radio from his belt and static filling the room.

Through the sound of the rain, a distant hum began to grow louder.

It was the unmistakable sound of multiple heavy engines idling near the driveway.

Dr. Voss looked up from her medical bag, her expression hardening.

“We are about to have company,” she said.

Marcus quickly pocketed his phone and turned to me.