Chapter 3 - The Estate Audit
The elevator lobby of the fourteenth floor became a tactical bottleneck for Evelyn Vance’s remaining security men.
David stood in the shadows of the utility alcove, his breathing slow and measured as the metal doors slid open.
Three additional guards stepped out, their flashlights cutting through the darkness of the residential floor.
"Clear the apartments methodically," the lead guard ordered, his hand resting on a high-caliber sidearm.
"Marcus said the father is military, so look for traps near the entryways."
David didn't give them the opportunity to set up a perimeter or organize a synchronized search.
He dropped a heavy chemical flare he had retrieved from his tactical bag, blinding the corridor with a brilliant white light.
The guards roared in confusion, their flashlights useless against the sudden, intense illumination.
David moved through the white smoke with absolute precision, utilizing a series of close-quarters strikes.
Within forty seconds, the three men were disarmed and neutralized on the carpeted floor of the lobby.
Marcus stood inside the elevator cab, his hands trembling violently as he repeatedly hit the door-close button.
But David’s heavy boot jammed into the closing gap, forcing the steel doors to slide open once again.
David grabbed Marcus by the silk lapels of his wedding tuxedo, dragging him out into the white light of the hallway.
"Please! Don't! I didn't touch her! It was my mother’s order!" Marcus whimpered, his face turning completely pale.
"You stood outside the door while your wife fought for her life, Marcus," David said, his voice a dangerous whisper.
"In my world, that makes you an active hostile combatant."
David pushed Marcus into the corner of the lobby, pinning him against the wall with a single forearm.
"Where are the title documents your mother wanted Chloe to sign?" David demanded.
"In the car!" Marcus gasped, tears of panic finally spilling over his pristine cheeks.
"Evelyn has the master files in the black limousine parked in the alleyway behind the building!"
"She has the local captain on the radio right now—they're staging a police raid to cover the whole thing up!"
David pulled a secure, encrypted satellite phone from his pocket, dialing a direct line to a federal military court.
"This is Colonel David Albright," he stated into the receiver, his eyes never leaving Marcus’s terrified face.
"I am initiating a Code Seven investigation regarding systemic political corruption and corporate extortion in this sector."
"I have the primary target's son secured, and I am moving to intercept the main organizer now."
He ended the call, looking down at Marcus with a look of absolute, profound contempt.
"Walk," David ordered, shoving Marcus toward the service stairs that led to the basement level.
Upstairs in the apartment, I had managed to move Chloe onto the sofa, wrapping her in a thick woolen blanket.
The crimson stain on her bridal gown had dried into a dark, ugly mask of the Vance family’s true nature.
She looked up at me, the color slowly returning to her lips as the adrenaline began to fade.
"Mom, there’s a ledger hidden inside the lining of my veil," Chloe whispered suddenly, pointing toward the floor.
I walked over to the hallway, picking up the ruined lace veil that had fallen near the splintered deadbolt.
My fingers searched the silk border until I felt the hard, rectangular shape of a micro-SD drive sewn into the fabric.
"What is this, Chloe?" I asked, bringing the tiny chip into the room.
"It’s the digital accounting history of the Vance foundation," Chloe said, her eyes flashing with a sudden defiance.
"They didn't just want my downtown building, Mom—they needed it because it sits on top of the city’s main fiber network."
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"They've been wiretapping the federal judges from the basement of that property for three years."
"And I just downloaded the entire archive before they realized I had the master key."
