Chapter 162

Eli sits on the edge of his bed in the small staff quarters, staring at the illuminated screen of his phone. The message from Carver stares back at him, impossible to ignore any longer.

《Miller isn’t back. Fix it.》

The words carry the weight of a deadline he cannot afford to miss. Carver has never been a patient man, and Eli knows there’s an invisible “or else” at the end of that text. He won’t be able to explain the bruised ribs or broken finger or whatever it is Carver’s men would be sent to deliver if he fails to fulfill his end of the deal.

He also obviously cannot let Miller talk. The only path forward is action tonight.

Eli closes his eyes for a moment and runs through the mental map he built of the estate during his first weeks here. Every corridor, every camera blind spot, every locked door. He knows the underground service tunnel that leads out near the east loading dock, the one rarely used after midnight. That will be his exit route for Miller.<