Chapter 13 - The Broadcast
Marcus flipped three toggles on the military-grade transceiver console. The screen flickered green, dialing directly through an encrypted satellite relay that bypassed the severed landlines and jammed cellular networks.
"Who are you calling?" Claire gasped from the corner, clutching her torn gown around her bruised shoulders. "The police can't get past the bridge in time!"
"I'm not calling the police," Marcus said coldly, his fingers flying across the mechanical keyboard. "I'm calling the Federal Reserve Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Father established a dead-man switch thirty years ago. If the estate security was ever compromised to this level, the master server dumps every transaction Arthur Ward ever signed directly onto public servers."
Julian stared at his brother. "The ledger... Mother wasn't hiding it from Claire. She was waiting for Arthur to commit to an irreversible move."
Eleanor smiled faintly, the shadows of the red emergency lights accentuating the sharp, indomitable lines of her face. "Arthur was too clever to be caught by audits. He had to be lured into an overt, criminal act of domestic terrorism on Sterling property. Claire was merely the bait."
Claire's jaw dropped. "You... you knew? You let me steal those papers?"
"I let you think you were winning, dear," Eleanor said softly. "Greed always makes people sloppy. You brought Ward’s private army to my front door, right in front of twenty-four hidden high-definition satellite surveillance cameras."
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A sudden, deep vibration shook the subterranean room. Overhead, an explosion ripped through the ceiling of the pantry above. Dust and bits of mortar rained down on the steel blast door.
"They brought C4," Julian said, cocking his pistol. "The hinges won't hold a second blast."
