Chapter 14 - Ambush in the Dark
"Who's there?" David yelled, stepping in front of Martha and me, his fists clenched in the darkness.
A heavy silence followed, broken only by the distant hum of traffic on Route 9. Then, the beam of a high-powered tactical flashlight cut through the gloom, blinding us through the half-open door of Unit 412.
"Step out of the unit, please. Keep your hands where I can see them," a deep, gravelly voice barked.
Two men in black windbreakers entered, badges dangling from chains around their necks. But as the flashlight beam bounced off the metal walls, I noticed the embroidery on their jackets: *Vance Global Security Services*. Not the police. Not federal marshals. Mercenaries hired by a billionaire.
"You're trespassing on private property," the lead man said. "This unit belongs to Victoria Vance, and its contents are subject to a corporate lien filed in Dover this morning. Hand over the cedar chest."
"This unit was legally purchased at auction by Vance Legal Associates on behalf of an LLC," Martha said, her voice completely devoid of fear. "You have no jurisdiction here, and you are currently committing a felony burglary under state law. I suggest you turn those lights off and leave before the state police arrive."
The man didn't flinch. "Call the state police, counselor. By the time they get here, my men will have loaded this entire unit into a flatbed truck, and we'll be across the Pennsylvania state line. Arthur Vance doesn't wait for local magistrates to finish their coffee."
"He won't have to," a new voice echoed from the corridor outside.
We all turned. Stepping through the doorway, her heels clicking sharply against the concrete, was Harper.
She didn't look like the manicured, arrogant girl who had demanded my master bedroom eight months ago. She was wearing her dental clinic scrub pants, a faded denim jacket, and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. Her face was pale, hollowed out by months of shame and hard labor, but her eyes were ablaze with pure, incandescent fury.
Behind her stood two uniformed state troopers with their hands resting on their holsters.
May you like
"Harper?" David choked out.
"Step back from them, Vance Security," the lead state trooper ordered, unsnapping his holster. "We received a 911 report of an armed breaking-and-entering in progress. Hands against the wall. Now!"
