Chapter 8 - The Shadow on the Water
The blinding glare pinned Victor, Clara, and Julian against the muddy bank. The engine hummed with a low, deep vibration that vibrated through Victor's boots.
"Drop the weapon, Agent Vance," a voice boomed over a loudspeaker from the boat's wheelhouse. The name made Victor turn sharply toward Clara. Agent Vance?
Clara didn't drop her weapon. Instead, she took half a step back, angling herself to shield Julian. "Alexander," she said coldly, her voice cutting through the hum of the engine. "You're off your reservation."
A man stepped onto the foredeck into the rim of the spotlight. He was tall, silver-haired, impeccably tailored beneath an overcoat, holding an unlit cigar. Victor recognized him instantly: Alexander Cross, the chairman of the board at Sterling Enterprises and his father’s lifelong business partner.
"Business requires personal oversight from time to time, Victor," Cross said smoothly, leaning against the railing. "I told Helena she was moving too fast. Amateurs are always in a rush to spend money they haven’t secured."
"You poisoned Sarah," Victor snarled, his voice thick with raw hatred. "You used Helena to dismantle my life."
"Sarah was brilliant, Victor. Too brilliant. She audited the shipping manifests and discovered what we were transporting through the port facilities in Athens," Cross said, exhaling a cold breath into the night. "Julian inherited her voting shares. As long as Julian lives, those shares sit in an untouchable trust controlled by an independent board. With Julian gone, Helena becomes executor, and I buy those shares for pennies on the dollar."
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"Over my dead body," Victor said.
"That was always the prerequisite," Cross replied, lifting his hand in a signal to the armed men hidden along the deck.
