Chapter 13 - The Purge of the Vances
Hector Rossi lowered his weapon, letting out a rough, appreciative bark of laughter. He looked from Pierce to Claire, nodding with grudging respect.
""A Sterling through and through,"" Hector said, snapping his fingers.
Two syndicate enforcers immediately charged up the Gulfstream stairs. They grabbed Derek’s limp, bleeding body by the collar and hauled Evelyn, who was screaming hysterically, out of her leather seat.
""No! Please! Pierce, we were family!"" Evelyn shrieked, her expensive heels dragging across the asphalt as she was thrown into the back of a syndicate van. ""Claire, forgive me! I was weak!""
Claire lowered her weapon, watching with cold indifference as the doors of the van slammed shut, locking the mother and son away into a world of endless retribution.
""The maritime audit stands cancelled,"" Pierce told Hector. ""If you ever cross the Seine again, the deal is void.""
Hector gave a mock salute, climbed back into his armored vehicle, and within two minutes, the convoy of headlights vanished into the Parisian fog, leaving the runway in utter silence.
Commissioner Laurent exhaled a long breath, holstering his weapon. ""Monsieur Sterling... officially, none of this happened on my shift. The airport cameras experienced a critical server failure.""
""Thank you, Commissioner,"" Pierce replied, shaking the officer's hand. ""A generous endowment will be made to the Parisian Police Widows Fund tomorrow morning.""
Pierce turned and walked up the steps to Claire. He gently took Leo from her arms, cradling his grandson against his chest. Claire leaned her head against her father's shoulder, the adrenaline finally washing out of her veins, leaving only exhausting peace.
""It's over, darling,"" Pierce whispered. ""You're coming home.""
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Marcus Cross approached from behind, holding his tablet with a furrowed brow.
""Sir,"" Marcus interrupted quietly. ""We have an urgent problem regarding Eleanor's safe deposit vault at Banque Privée. It was opened an hour ago.""
