Chapter 14 - The Lion's Den
The storm had arrived over the capital by late afternoon, cloaking the glass-and-steel monolith of Vance Tower in a shroud of gray mist and torrential rain.
Elena pushed the stroller through the underground parking garage, her posture rigid, her chin held high. Beneath the blanket of the stroller lay only a soft bundle of coats; Leo was safely miles away in the protective custody of federal marshals at Hayes's field office. Inside her inner coat pocket, the metal ledger weighed heavily against her ribs.
She stepped into the private freight elevator, inserting the keycard Marcus's men had left for her at the security kiosk. The elevator surged upward with silent, dizzying speed, rising seventy stories above the city.
The doors chimed and slid open to reveal the lavish, two-story penthouse office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the rain-swept metropolis. In the center of the vast expanse of white marble sat Julian, strapped to a heavy wooden chair. His face was battered, his breathing labored, but his eyes flared with ferocious terror the moment he saw Elena step off the lift.
""Elena... no!"" Julian screamed through cracked, bloody lips. ""Get out! It's a trap!""
Marcus stepped out from the shadow of the mezzanine staircase, wearing a pristine three-piece suit, a glass of scotch in one hand and a suppressed pistol in the other. Two armed private guards flanked him.
""Welcome to the family reunion,"" Marcus sneered, looking down at the stroller. He signaled his guard with a nod. ""Check the infant.""
The guard stepped forward and pulled the blanket back, revealing only empty fabric. His eyes widened. ""It's empty, sir!""
Before Marcus could react, Elena pulled the heavy leather ledger from her coat and held it over the edge of an ornate bronze brazier burning brightly beside the elevator doors.
""Touch him again, and this whole empire burns right now,"" Elena said, her voice echoing with commanding power through the penthouse.
May you like
Marcus laughed coldly, raising the pistol toward her chest. ""Do you think a handful of paper can stop me, girl? I own this city. The moment you die, the child becomes a state ward under my guardianship anyway.""
""It's not just paper, Marcus,"" Elena said, pulling the titanium USB drive from her pocket and tossing it onto the marble floor where it skittered to a stop. ""The master files were uploaded to the Department of Justice thirty minutes ago. The raid team isn't four blocks away. They're in the lobby.""
