Page 50 of His

All around me, the guests were beginning to panic in earnest now, shoving past each other in their rush to escape. I saw a couple of Raffaele’s men shouting to each other, trying to regroup, but they were getting lost in the fray.

A loud bang echoed through the room, followed by a flash of light and the acrid smell of smoke. I recognized what was happening. Someone had set off a smoke bomb. I cursed under my breath.

The smoke began to thicken, curling up toward the chandeliers, and the harsh stench of chemicals filled the air. Guests continued to push toward the exits, their panic barely contained, but at least they were moving in the right direction.

I kept one eye on Raffaele’s men, watching their every move. They were regrouping, huddling near the far wall, their faces hidden behind makeshift masks to protect them from the smoke. I knew they were waiting for something—for the smoke to cover whatever they had planned next. I could feel it in my gut; this was only the beginning.

But as I scanned the room, I saw something else—another man, standing off to the side, near a small utility door. He was dressed like a waiter, but his movements were too precise, too deliberate. He was trying to blend in, but I recognized the way he held himself, the tension in his shoulders. And he wasn’t focused on the chaos; he was focused on something else entirely.

Chances were he worked for Raffaele.

“Sofia,” I whispered, nodding in his direction. “See him? Near the door?”

She followed my gaze, narrowing her eyes. “Yeah, I see him. What’s he doing?”

I watched him carefully, noticing the way his eyes darted around the room, then back to the utility door, as if waiting for a moment when no one was looking. Then it clicked. He was guarding something—or someone.

“He’s not trying to help anyone out of here,” I murmured. “He’s protecting that door. There’s something behind it.”

Sofia nodded, her expression sharpening with understanding. “You think it’s connected to Raffaele’s plan?”

“Has to be,” I replied. “That door leads to the building’s main server room. If they’re using this blackout as a distraction, they could be after sensitive data—financial records, political leverage… anything they could use against us or others in this room.”

“Or worse,” she whispered, eyes widening. “What if they’re hacking into the security systems? They could gain access to any number of things—bank accounts, private communications of everyone here… even control of the security cameras and alarm systems.”

I felt a surge of anger. Raffaele was always two steps ahead, but not this time. “We can’t let them get to that data,” I said firmly.

Sofia glanced at the fire extinguisher in her hands, then back at me. “Then we need to move. Fast.”

I nodded, making a quick decision. “Follow my lead. Stay close.”

I moved swiftly, guiding Sofia toward the utility door. The man guarding it hadn’t noticed us yet, his focus still on the crowd. As we approached, I slowed my steps, positioning us just outside his line of sight.

Then I made my move.

In a single, fluid motion, I lunged forward, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him against the wall. He gasped in shock, but before he could react, I pinned him in place, my forearm pressed against his throat.

“What’s behind the door?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.

The man struggled, his eyes wide with fear, but he didn’t answer. He tried to reach for something—a weapon, maybe—but Sofia was faster. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it, forcing him to drop whatever he was holding.

My little badass…

“I’m not going to ask again,” I said, tightening my grip. “What are you hiding?”

He gasped for breath, his face turning red. “Alright, alright,” he croaked. “There’s a team in there. They’re accessing the servers… copying data. Financials, communications… everything they can get their hands on.”

Sofia’s eyes flashed with alarm. “How much time do they have?”

The man swallowed hard. “Minutes… maybe less. They’re almost done.”

I swore under my breath, then knocked him out with a quick blow to the side of the head. “We don’t have much time,” I said, turning to Sofia. “We need to get in there, now.”

She nodded, her eyes glittering with determination. I pushed the utility door open, revealing a narrow corridor that led to a reinforced door marked ‘Server Room—Authorized Personnel Only.’ I could hear the faint hum of machinery inside, mixed with the sound of hushed voices.

I moved forward, pressing my ear to the door, listening. “There are at least three of them,” I whispered to Sofia. “Maybe more. They’re working fast.”

She nodded, understanding the urgency. “We need to disrupt whatever they’re doing. If we cut the power to the servers, they’ll lose everything they’ve managed to access.”

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