CHAPTER 18: THE LION’S DEN
CHAPTER 18: THE LION’S DEN
Inside the speeding SUV, Maya sat trembling in the corner of the leather seat. The men upfront were cursing, realizing that within minutes, the entire city had turned into a fortress. Police sirens echoed from every direction.
Maya remembered her mother’s words: When people tell lies in the dark, we don't hide. We turn on the brightest light.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Maya reached into her pocket. She pressed the emergency distress button hidden inside the silver locket her mother had given her on her seventh birthday. The locket immediately began transmitting a silent, encrypted GPS signal directly to Detective Marcus Vance and Lord Harrington’s security mainframe.
Thirty miles outside the city, at an abandoned airstrip, Victoria Thorne stood waiting by a private jet, the engines whining loudly in the rain. She checked her watch, her face tight with anxiety.
The black SUV burst through the chain-link gates of the airstrip, sliding to a halt on the wet tarmac. The mercenaries dragged Maya out. Victoria walked forward, looking down at the little girl who had been the catalyst for her family's ruin.
"You look just like your mother," Victoria sneered.
"And you look scared," Maya replied, her voice trembling but her chin held high.
Before Victoria could respond, the sky above them erupted in blinding light. Three police helicopters descended through the rain, their massive spotlights pinning Victoria and the mercenaries to the ground.
Simultaneously, a dozen armored tactical vehicles surrounded the airstrip, blocking the jet's path. The doors flew open, and heavily armed FBI agents swarmed the area.
From the lead vehicle, Sophia Vance emerged. She didn't wait for the area to be secured. She ran through the pouring rain, ignoring the weapons and the shouts.
"Maya!" Sophia screamed.
May you like
Maya broke free from the stunned mercenary's grip and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. "Mommy!"
They crashed into each other, falling to the wet tarmac, holding on so tightly it seemed as though nothing in the universe could ever pry them apart. Sophia buried her face in Maya’s neck, sobbing with relief, while the agents moved in, placing Victoria Thorne in heavy steel handcuffs.
