The Billionaire Infiltrator

Chapter 3: Blood money and Silk

Colton's POV

The early morning sun was just starting to peek over the trees when I finished my third lap around the perimeter of the estate.

My black canvas bag sat on the wooden bench outside the guest quarters. I unzipped it, pulled out a small black satellite phone that didn't register on local cell towers, and dialed a private number.

Jaxith answered on the first ring. "Status, boss?"

"I’m inside," I said, keeping my voice low as I watched two of Don Eclipse’s guards walk past the far side of the driveway. "The security here is sloppy, but the house is locked down tight at night. Don Eclipse keeps his primary server room in the basement behind a biometric lock."

"Have you located the stolen drive yet?"

"Not yet," I replied, tracing my thumb over the edge of the satellite phone. "The basement requires a keycard held by Eclipse himself. But that’s not my only problem."

"What’s the problem?"

"The girl," I said, my mind instantly flashing back to the hallway last night. I could still feel the phantom weight of her hands pressing against my chest, trying to push me away. "Elloise tried to sneak out at two in the morning. She wasn't trying to go to a party. She was wearing dark clothes, keeping low to the walls, and watching the camera angles like a trained operative."

Jaxith let out a low whistle over the line. "A mafia princess playing stealth games? What do you think she’s up to?"

"I don't know yet," I murmured, staring up at the second-floor window where the curtains were still drawn tight. "She’s hiding something in that room. She looks at her father with pure hatred, Jaxith. She isn't working with him. She’s running her own game."

"Be careful, Colton," Jaxith warned. "If she realizes you aren't who you say you are, she could blow your cover to her father before we secure that military software."

"She won't," I said coldly. "I'm keeping her on a short leash."

I ended the call, tucked the phone into a hidden compartment inside my boot, and walked toward the main house.

By noon, Don Eclipse had summoned me to the front driveway. A sleek black sedan was parked near the steps, its engine idling quietly. Standing beside the rear door was Elloise, wearing a dark green silk dress that reached her knees, paired with black heels. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, and her hazel eyes narrowed the moment she saw me approaching.

Don Eclipse stepped out onto the porch, adjusting the gold watch on his wrist. "Ragnar. You’re driving her to the charity luncheon at the grand hotel downtown. My business associate, Capo Kaelen, will be there. I expect you to keep her in sight the entire time."

"Understood, sir," I said, taking the key fob from one of the house guards.

Elloise didn't wait for me to open her door. She pulled it open herself, slid into the leather backseat, and slammed it shut with enough force to shake the frame.

I got into the driver’s seat, adjusted the rearview mirror, and met her sharp gaze in the glass. "Buckle up, Miss Eclipse."

"I don't take orders from you," she said, crossing her legs and looking out the tinted window as I pulled out through the heavy iron gates.

"It's not an order," I replied evenly, accelerating onto the main road. "It's standard safety. Unless you plan on flying through the windshield if someone cuts us off."

She let out a quiet scoff but reached over and clicked the belt into place. "You're very dramatic for a bodyguard. Do you always treat your clients like helpless children?"

"Only the ones who try to sneak past security cameras at two in the morning," I said, watching her reflection in the mirror.

Elloise stiffened slightly, her eyes locking back onto mine through the glass. "I told you, I wanted water."

"And I told you your shoes didn't match the story," I said smoothly. "If you want to lie to me, Elloise, at least make it believable."

Her name sounded heavy coming out of my mouth, quiet and deliberate. She blinked, caught off guard by the fact that I had dropped her formal title. A light flush rose along her neck, but her jaw remained tight.

"You don't know anything about me, Ragnar," she whispered, leaning forward slightly so her face was closer to the gap between the front seats. "You think you're so smart standing there in your dark clothes, acting like a brick wall. But you're just a servant taking blood money from a man who destroys lives."

I kept my hands steady on the steering wheel, my face completely impassive. "Money is money."

"Is it?" she countered, her voice dropping lower, full of quiet anger. "You don't care where it comes from? You don't care who gets hurt so you can buy your expensive lighters and act tough?"

I glanced at her in the mirror. The fire in her eyes was genuine. She didn't just dislike her father's lifestyle—it disgusted her. It made my chest tighten with a strange, unfamiliar reaction. She had no idea that I agreed with her. She had no idea that I spent my life dismantling men like her father.

"My job is to keep you alive," I said softly. "Nothing more."

"Then just drive," she snapped, leaning back into her seat and turning her head away.

We arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. The valet opened her door, and I stepped out immediately, standing half a step behind her as we walked through the glass doors into the polished marble lobby.

The banquet hall was filled with wealthy donors, local politicians, and high-ranking syndicate members dressed in expensive tuxedos. Soft classical music played over the speakers, hiding the quiet, dangerous conversations happening over champagne glasses.

I stayed right behind Elloise as she moved through the crowd. She greeted people with polite, fake smiles, playing the dutiful mafia daughter perfectly. But I noticed every detail. I noticed how her hand trembled slightly when she held her wine glass. I noticed how her eyes constantly scanned the exits, measuring distances and counting guards.

Suddenly, a heavy set man with slicked-back gray hair and a scar running along his jawline stepped into our path.

Capo Kaelen. One of Don Eclipse's most ruthless lieutenants.

"Elloise," Kaelen purred, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of her knuckles longer than was appropriate. "Your father told me you’d be here. You look stunning today."

Elloise pulled her hand back politely, her fake smile straining. "Thank you, Capo Kaelen. I hope business is going well."

"It always is," Kaelen grinned, his bloodshot eyes trailing down her dress in a way that made a dark, instinctive anger flare in my gut. He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. "Your father and I spoke last night. We discussed your future. He agrees that it's time you had a man who can manage your family's interests properly."

Elloise took a small step back, her spine rigid. "My future is my own business, Kaelen."

"Is it?" Kaelen sneered, taking another step forward, reaching out to grab her wrist. "You belong to this family, little girl. And soon, you'll belong to—"

Before his fingers could touch her skin, I stepped into the space between them.

I grabbed Kaelen’s wrist mid-air, my grip tightening like a steel vise around his joint. The force stopped him instantly.

Kaelen gasped, his face twisting in shock and pain as I squeezed down on the nerve cluster near his wrist. His two armed bodyguards immediately reached inside their jackets for their handguns.

"Touch her again," I said, my voice dropping so low and cold it cut straight through the surrounding chatter, "and I’ll break your arm in three places before your men can clear their holsters."

Kaelen stared up at me, his eyes wide with sudden fear as he realized he was looking into the face of a man who could kill him without blinking. The air between us felt heavy and dangerous.

Behind me, Elloise stood frozen, staring at the back of my head, her breath catching softly as she realized just what kind of monster her father had hired to guard her