Chapter 10 - The Ambush at the Stables
A blinding red laser dot danced across the hood of the armored SUV, snapping Marcus into immediate tactical awareness.
"Get down!" Marcus roared, shoving Robert and Sam behind the thick steel frame of the vehicle's rear door while simultaneously drawing his sidearm and firing three rapid shots toward the woodline.
From behind the gnarled trunk of an ancient oak tree at the edge of the paddock, a figure stepped out into the open, lowering a high-powered tactical rifle. It wasn't one of the masked paramilitary mercenaries from inside the house.
It was a woman dressed in an impeccably tailored charcoal St. John suit, her silver-streaked blonde hair pulled back into a severe chignon. A pair of frameless designer sunglasses shielded her eyes, but even from fifty yards away, the resemblance was unmistakable.
Victoria Sterling.
"Well, well, well," Victoria's voice carried across the paddock, cool, smooth, and utterly devoid of warmth. "I must admit, Robert, I expected more discretion from a man of your stature. Harboring a runaway fugitive on private property? That’s a federal offense."
Robert handed Sam—who was now shivering uncontrollably and barely conscious—to Elizabeth in the back seat of the SUV, slamming the door shut to protect them. He stepped out from behind the vehicle, standing tall in the open sunlight, his eyes locked on his corporate rival.
"You sent a hit squad into my home to murder a ten-year-old child, Victoria," Robert shouted back, his voice vibrating with barely contained rage. "You think a federal paperwork charge is going to save you after what your mercenaries just did inside my house?"
Victoria offered a thin, glacial smile, adjusting the lapel of her jacket. "Nobody is murdering anyone, Robert. You're being entirely dramatic. That boy is an unstable orphan who wandered onto your estate. My security team was simply attempting to recover my runaway ward and return him to his legal guardian—myself."
"He's the sole heir to Sterling Technologies," Robert snarled, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. "And today is his tenth birthday. You wanted him dead before midnight so his trust defaults directly to your corporate foundation."
Victoria’s smile didn't waver, but a dangerous glint flashed behind her designer lenses. "Prove it, Robert. By the time local law enforcement arrives—which they won't, thanks to the signal jammers currently disabling every cell tower in Westchester—this entire property will be logged as a tragic security breach. And you will be the disgraced billionaire who failed to protect a helpless child."
She raised two fingers toward the woodline behind her.
Instantly, the heavy iron gates of the stable yard groaned open, and three black SUVs bearing Vanguard Capital insignia rolled slowly down the gravel drive, cutting off the only escape route out of the estate.
Inside the SUV, Elizabeth pressed her hand against the tinted window, her eyes wide with terror as she watched the vehicles box them in.
Marcus stepped up beside Robert, flicking the safety off his weapon. "Boss, they've got us surrounded. There's no way out through the gates."
Robert didn't look at Marcus. His eyes remained fixed on Victoria Sterling as she slowly lowered her sunglasses, revealing cold, dead brown eyes that mirrored the boy shivering in the back seat.
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"You think you've won, Victoria," Robert said quietly, his voice cutting cleanly through the crisp autumn wind. "You think money and corporate shell companies make you untouchable."
"In this world, Robert?" Victoria replied, stepping closer as her armed guards fanned out across the paddock. "Money is the only thing that matters. Now, hand over the boy."
