Chapter 4 - The Viper's Counterstrike"Did you really think I wouldn't track a vintage subway line built with my own money?" Julian Vance drawled, a dark, triumphant grin stretching across his wrinkled face. His gray eyes flickered with lethal satisfaction as he stepped past the armed guards.
Victor immediately shifted his body to block Mia and Tommy, raising his sidearm, but Chief Deputy Harrison clicked his safety off, aiming an assault rifle directly at Victor’s chest.
"Drop the gun, Victor," Harrison commanded sternly. "Or I'll put a burst through your chest right in front of the girl."
Victor’s jaw tightened. Knowing he was heavily outgunned, he slowly lowered his weapon and let it drop to the concrete floor.
Julian stepped into the vault, sweeping his eyes over the gold and the black hard drives before focusing entirely on Mia. "Look at you," Julian whispered, reaching out with a gloved finger to lift Mia’s chin. Mia snapped her head away, glaring at him with pure hatred. "So full of pride. Just like Arthur before I had his steering column cut."
"You're a monster," Mia spat, pulling Tommy closer against her chest. "The police know everything. Evelyn was arrested tonight!"
Julian threw his head back and laughed—a dry, raspy sound that made the hair on Mia’s neck stand up. "Evelyn? Evelyn was a foolish socialite who thought she was playing chess when she was merely a pawn on my board. Do you know who signed her arrest warrant tonight, Mia? Chief Harrison here."
Mia looked at Harrison in disbelief. The corrupt lawman offered a cold, indifferent smirk.
"By tomorrow morning," Julian continued, "the headlines will read that tragic rogue operative Victor Vance kidnapped the Sterling heir, murdered several private guards, and died in an explosion inside this old industrial vault. You and little Tommy will simply... disappear. And as Tommy's sole surviving grand-uncle, I will inherit his full estate by court decree."
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"You won't get away with this," Victor said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "The vault logs uploaded to the cloud the moment the door swung open. Federal servers in Washington already have the DNA match."
Julian’s grin faltered for a fraction of a second. His eyes flickered toward the ceiling monitors. "Then we had better hurry." Julian signaled to Harrison. "Kill Victor. Secure the baby. We burn the rest."
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