The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 24: Silent Perimeter-1

Outside the Lake House

The gravel crunched softly under the tires as James brought the black SUV to a slow stop beneath a thick canopy of pine trees. Beyond the brush, the lake shimmered quietly under the late afternoon light, but the house ahead stood still-its windows like blank, watchful eyes.

It was nearly 4:00 PM by the time they arrived. The lake house sat so far outside the city limits that

it had taken nearly three hours to reach from the urban center.

Monroe raised a pair of binoculars, sweeping slowly across the structure. “No movement. Curtains drawn. But the car matches Beckett’s-license plate lines up with what we pulled.”

James nodded grimly. “Then we’re in the right place.”

They didn’t exit.

Too risky.

Instead, they waited-watching, listening.

Five minutes later, the low rumble of engines echoed through the trees. Two matte-black SUVS came to a quiet halt behind them. The moment the doors opened, four men stepped out from one vehicle-dressed in tactical black, moving in fluid, practiced formation.

From the second SUV, a window rolled down smoothly.

A sharp-jawed man with slate-gray eyes leaned out, a cigarette dangling loosely from the corner of his mouth. His smirk was lazy, but the air around him tensed.

“Horton,” he said, voice casual-but carrying weight.

James stepped forward with a respectful bow. “Mr. Ashcroft.”

Ashcroft’s grin tugged slightly wider. “Been a while. Still running cleanup duty for the king?”

James’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t take the bait. “Yes, sir.”

Ashcroft exhaled smoke, his eyes shifting to the lake house in the distance.

“So. This is it?”

“Yes. Beckett’s vehicle is parked in the rear. No signs of guards. Just him and Ms. Thompson

inside, we assume.”

At the sound of Maya’s name, Ashcroft’s gaze sharpened.

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Chapter 24 Silent Perimeter 1

“Stand down, gentlemen,” he said, gesturing lazily to James and Monroe. “This one’s ours. I

promised Damien a gift.”

He winked, the smile never touching his eyes.

+26 Pousta

He turned to his men, all shadows and steel. “Surround the property. Quiet. No gaps. Tree line to

shoreline. No one in. No one out. And no radio chatter unless it’s urgent.”

Without a word, the men moved-dissolving into the woods like phantoms.

The door opened and he stepped out-tall, lean, dressed in dark layers. The kind of man who

answered to no one and played by rules that didn’t exist on paper.

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