KANE CREES VILLAThe orange lambogini had barely rolled to a stop before Victoria was out of it, her heels hitting the gravel driveway, with sharp click's. She didn't wait for the driver to circle around and open her door—didn't have the patience for that formality, not today, not with the news burning a hole in her chest like acid eating through fabric.Her heels struck the marble floor of the foyer with rapid, furious clicks, and she muttered something under her breath—a string of German curses that would have made a dockworker blush. One of her maids, a young woman with tired eyes and a nervous smile, stepped forward with her hand outstretched."Willkommen, gnädige Frau." the maid said in careful German, reaching for Victoria's bag.The slap came before the maid could finish the word. Victoria's palm connected with the woman's cheek with a sound like a firecracker, and the maid stumbled backward, one hand pressed to her reddening face, her eyes wide with shock and hurt."Narren," V

Giff stood at the center of the tech room filled with twenty tech skill pro's working endlessly. His fingers tapping a restless rhythm against his thigh, his eyes fixed on the massive monitor that dominated the far wall. It displayed a grainy satellite image of the dense forest on the outskirts of Berlin, blinking markers scattered across the terrain like a game board waiting for its next move.He clicked his fingers. The sound was sharp, satisfied, the kind of sound a man makes when a gamble is paying off beyond his wildest expectations. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he let it spread. He had earned this moment."Beautiful," he murmured to no one in particular.The door at the far end of the room opened, and Eleanor stepped through. Her heels clicked against the floor with the authority of someone who had never needed to ask permission for anything in her life. She carried a tablet in one hand, its screen glowing with data Giff couldn't see from where he stood."G