Chapter 7 - THE NEGOTIATION
The oak doors groaned and splintered under a second, violent blow.
I backed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the study, the heavy black ledger clutched tight against my chest. There was nowhere to run. My father’s study was built like a fortress; the windows were bulletproof glass, and the only exit was the door currently being battered down.
With a deafening crash, the locks gave way. The heavy doors swung open, crashing against the bookshelves.
Vanessa stepped into the room, flanked by two massive men in dark suits. The red silk gown was gone, replaced by sharp, practical black tactical pants and a turtleneck. She looked every inch the ruthless mafia boss she was trying to become.
“You’ve been a thorn in my side since the day I met Adrian,” Vanessa said, walking slowly toward me. Her eyes fell on the black book in my arms. “And I see you found the holy grail.”
“The FBI is already on their way to the Vermont airstrip, Vanessa,” I lied smoothly, fighting the tremor in my voice. “They know about Leo. They know about the extortion. It’s over.”
Vanessa stopped. For a fraction of a second, panic flared in her eyes. But then, she let out a slow, cruel laugh.
“You’re bluffing, Claire,” she sneered. “The FBI doesn't move that fast without verified intelligence. And even if they did, it’s a three-hour drive to Vermont. Adrian left ten minutes ago. He’ll get there long before the feds. And when he does, my father’s men will be waiting for him.”
My stomach dropped. I hadn't thought about the timeline. Adrian was driving straight into an ambush, and the FBI might not make it in time.
“Give me the ledger, Claire,” Vanessa demanded, holding out her hand. “If you give it to me, I’ll call my men off. I’ll let Adrian and the boy live. They’ll just have to disappear.”
“You’re lying,” I said. “You can't leave them alive. Leo is the true heir. As long as he breathes, your claim to the Moretti empire is contested.”
“You’re smarter than you look,” Vanessa admitted with a cold smile. She nodded to the two men behind her. “Take it from her. If she fights, break her arms.”
The men stepped forward.
I didn't think. I just reacted. I spun around, grabbed the heavy brass fire poker from the hearth, and smashed it as hard as I could against the mansion’s state-of-the-art fire alarm pull station on the wall.
A deafening, piercing siren instantly shattered the silence of the estate. Strobe lights began flashing violently in every hallway.
The two men flinched, covering their ears.
“Grab her!” Vanessa shrieked over the siren.
One of the men lunged. I swung the fire poker, catching him hard in the knee. He grunted and stumbled, but the second man caught my arm, twisting it painfully behind my back. The ledger slipped from my grasp, hitting the Persian rug with a heavy thud.
Vanessa walked over and picked it up. She looked at the black leather cover, a victorious smile spreading across her face.
“Dominic thought he was so clever,” Vanessa said, running her hand over the book. “He thought he could buy my father’s silence forever. But you can't buy respect. You have to take it.”
“He didn't give Leo away because he was afraid of your father,” I spat, struggling against the man holding me. “He did it to protect Leo from people like you!”
“It doesn't matter why he did it,” Vanessa said coldly. “What matters is that tonight, the Moretti bloodline ends. And the Vance family takes the throne.”
She turned to her men. “Tie her to the desk. When we’re clear of the estate, burn the room. Let it look like she died trying to save her precious father’s paintings.”
The man shoved me brutally into Dominic’s heavy leather chair, pulling a set of zip-ties from his pocket.
Suddenly, my cell phone, sitting on the desk next to me, buzzed. The screen lit up with a FaceTime call.
The caller ID read: Adrian.
Vanessa froze. She looked at the phone, then at me. She smiled, a wicked, triumphant expression.
“Let’s see how far he got before my men caught him,” Vanessa said. She reached out and accepted the video call, turning the screen so we could both see.
The video connected. But it wasn't Adrian’s face on the screen.
It was a young, dark-haired boy sitting in the passenger seat of a car. His eyes were wide, and he was clutching a small stuffed bear.
It was Leo.
“Hello?” Leo’s small, trembling voice came through the speaker. “Aunt Claire?”
Vanessa’s face went paper-white.
“Leo?” I gasped. “Where are you? Where is Margaret?”
The camera shifted. Adrian’s face appeared in the frame. He looked exhausted, bleeding from a cut above his eye, but he was grinning—a fierce, terrifying Moretti grin.
“Hello, Vanessa,” Adrian said smoothly over the phone.
“How...” Vanessa stammered, stepping back. “My men were taking him to Vermont!”
“Your men didn't make it off the estate property,” Adrian said coldly. “Did you really think I’d drive to Vermont without checking the estate’s security gates first? I intercepted the van at the south exit. Your men are currently locked in the trunk of my car.”
Vanessa’s hands shook with fury. “It doesn't matter! I have the ledger! The FBI has nothing!”
“Actually,” Adrian said, turning the camera slightly to show the dashboard of his car, “I’m sitting outside the federal building right now. And I’m about to walk inside and give them the digital backups my father kept on his private servers. Turns out, Dominic didn't just keep a paper copy, Vanessa.”
Vanessa stared at the screen in absolute horror. Her entire empire, her ten-year plan, was collapsing in real-time.
“Claire,” Adrian’s voice softened as he looked at the screen. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Adrian,” I lied, pulling desperately at the zip-tie the man had just secured around my wrist.
May you like
“I’m coming back for you,” Adrian promised.
“Don't bother,” Vanessa shrieked, pulling a small silver handgun from her waistband and aiming it directly at my head. “If you walk into that FBI building, Adrian, I blow your sister’s brains out right now on live video!”
