Chapter 7 - Ash and Deceit
The twin searchlights from the hovering Sikorsky helicopter pinned Victoria in a cage of white brilliance.
Over the loudspeaker, a mechanical voice thundered across the estate grounds: FEDERAL MARSHALS. DROP ALL WEAPONS AND STEP AWAY FROM THE EXCAVATION HATCH.
Victoria’s mind snapped. Realizing the net was closing, she whipped the pistol away from Ethan’s head and aimed straight at the folded blue parchment in Lily’s hands.
""If I burn, this entire bloodline burns with me!"" she screamed.
She fired twice.
Ethan reacted with animal speed. He twisted his torso, shielding Lily with his broad back. The first bullet tore through the shoulder of his burgundy coat, ripping through silk and grazing the flesh beneath. The second round ricocheted violently off the iron chute frame, sending sparks flying into the dark.
Ethan grunted, the impact staggering him, but he did not fall. He lunged forward, closing the distance between them in a single stride, his right hand clamping around Victoria's wrist with the force of an industrial vice. He twisted downward.
The sound of bone snapping cleanly was drowned out by Victoria’s piercing shriek as the firearm slipped from her limp fingers, tumbling into the mud below.
Behind them, tactical officers in black fatigues rappelled down thick ropes from the helicopter, landing heavily on the manicured grass. Within seconds, four laser sights locked onto Victoria’s chest.
""Secure the perimeter!"" an operative shouted, pinning the sobbing woman face-down onto the freezing soil.
Julian fell to his knees with his hands locked behind his head, offering no resistance as cold steel handcuffs were ratcheted around his wrists.
Marcus hauled himself out of the coal chute, coughing violently, his ash-gray coat soaked in grime. He spat a mouthful of soot onto the ground and leaned heavily against an ornate stone fountain. ""About time your strike team arrived, Ethan. I was starting to think my retirement was going to be cut short.""
Ethan didn't answer. He dropped to one knee on the damp grass, setting Lily down gently before him. Blood was seeping through his ripped sleeve, staining the rich burgundy fabric a sickening dark crimson.
Lily reached out her small, trembling hands, her thumb wiping a stray speck of soot from Ethan's jawline. Her hazel eyes were wide, brimming with tears she had held back for hours.
""Uncle Ethan... you're hurting,"" she whimpered.
Ethan offered a faint, tired smile—the first genuine smile he had worn in three years. ""A scratch, little bird. It takes far more than a viper's tooth to bring down a Vance.""
Lily looked down at the crumpled blue parchment, safe in her grasp, then held it out to him. ""Mommy said when the dawn comes, you must read this in the grand library. She said the room has ears.""
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Ethan frowned, glancing at the sealed letter. ""The room has ears?""
Before he could question her further, Marcus’s radio crackled with static, and an urgent voice came through the speaker: Command, this is Sector 4. The digital vault at Vance Tower has just suffered a catastrophic breach. Someone isn't stealing money... they're wiping the corporate identity of every heir from the national registries!
