Chapter 3: Breach
The lights flickered again.
Once. Twice. Then held steady—too steady.
Mara's eyes stayed locked on the monitor. That shadow… it wasn't a trick of the light. It moved with purpose. Closer. Higher.
She reached for her gun.
Damien didn't flinch. His face was unreadable as he stared at the screen, like he'd been waiting for this moment. Dreading it. Expecting it.
"Who else has access to this building?" Mara asked, voice sharp.
"No one," he replied.
"That shadow says otherwise."
Suddenly, the feed from the elevator shaft went dark.
"What the hell—?" Mara tapped the monitor. Static. All four surveillance feeds scrambled at once.
Someone was jamming the system.
"Manual override," Damien said, already moving to the far wall where a sleek black case was mounted. He pressed his thumb to it — nothing happened.
Access denied.
"They're already inside," Mara muttered.
"How can you be sure?"
She glanced toward the hallway. "Because silence like this always comes before the noise."
Almost on cue, a low metallic clink echoed from somewhere beyond the hallway — the distinct sound of a door unlocking. Not from within the penthouse. From the service stairwell outside it.
Mara took position, back against the wall, pistol raised. "Do you have a panic room?"
Damien hesitated.
"That's a yes," she said. "Go. Lock in."
"I'm not leaving you to—"
"I wasn't asking permission."
He looked at her then, like he saw something new. Something dangerous.
"I don't want you to die," he said softly.
"I won't," she replied. "But whoever's coming through that door might."
A beat of breath.
Then Damien turned and vanished through a hidden panel behind the bookshelf.
Mara exhaled slowly, leveling her gun toward the entrance as soft footsteps approached from the other side of the penthouse door.
A pause.
Then—
Bang.
The door exploded inward, smoke and splinters filling the air. Mara dropped low, rolled left, and fired—twice—before ducking behind the armchair. Glass shattered. A figure darted past, fast and silent.
Too fast.
She tried to track it—but it wasn't one intruder.
There were two.
They moved like shadows, black-clad and masked, as if they'd rehearsed the layout. One knocked over the side table, sending sparks from hidden electronics. The other swept the corridor with something in his hand—scanning for something.
Not for Damien.
For her.
The realization slammed into her chest.
This wasn't an assassination.
It was a test.
She fired again—hitting one in the shoulder. He stumbled, dropped to his knees. The other grabbed him, dragging him back toward the door.
And just before they vanished, one turned.
Mara caught a glimpse of something etched into the mask—
A raven's wing.
Then they were gone, out the service exit.
Silence again.
Damien emerged seconds later. "You're bleeding."
She looked down. A shallow cut across her arm. She hadn't noticed.
"They weren't here to kill you," she said.
"No," Damien murmured, staring at the shattered glass. "They wanted to see if you'd survive."
Mara's fingers tightened on her weapon. "What have you gotten me into?"
He looked at her — and for the first time, the cold mask cracked.
"I think," he said quietly, "this is only the beginning."
End of Chapter 3
Next Time on Confined With Voss: Chapter 4 – The Raven Mark
Mara thought she'd survived the worst.
But when she starts connecting the symbol on the mask to a secret organization buried deep in Damien's past, she realizes that what happened tonight wasn't random.
Someone knows who Damien really is.
And they want him exposed—or destroyed.
But the next move they make? It won't be through the front door.
It'll come from within.
Don't miss chapter 4! Add to library & leave your theories in the comments!