Chapter 7 - The Battered Kneecap
A sickening crunch echoed through the silent underground garage as the heavy wrench struck home. The attacker let out a sharp, agonized shriek, dropping the iron pipe with a deafening clang as he collapsed heavily onto the concrete, clutching his shattered kneecap and rolling in agony.
Maya stood over him, her breathing ragged, the heavy wrench still gripped tightly in her trembling hand. She looked down at the man in the hoodie, her bruised face illuminated by the harsh overhead light. Without a word, she reached down, grabbed the edge of the hood, and yanked it back.
The overhead light caught the familiar, slicked-back gray hair and sweat-beaten forehead of Marcus Vance—Arthur’s personal driver and head of estate security for over two decades.
Marcus gritted his teeth, his face pale with shock and pain as he glared up at her from the floor. "You... you broke my leg," he gasped, sweat beading heavily on his upper lip.
"You were about to cave my skull in with a lead pipe, Marcus," Maya replied coldly, tossing the wrench aside. "Consider it a fair trade for the scars on my face from Tuesday night."
Marcus squeezed his eyes shut, a bitter, defeated groan escaping his lips. "Arthur didn't send me," he whispered, coughing slightly. "Victoria... Victoria ordered it. She saw the document during the rehearsal dinner last week. She knew Eleanor left everything to the illegitimate daughter, and she was terrified you'd show up at the wedding."
Maya’s eyes narrowed. "So she hired her own brother's driver to do her dirty work in the basement? That sounds entirely on brand for the Vance family."
"She threatened my pension," Marcus muttered, his voice cracking with humiliation. "My wife’s medical bills... Victoria said if I didn't stop you, I’d lose everything."
Maya knelt down beside him, her expression softening just a fraction, though the cold determination in her eyes remained unbroken. She reached into Marcus’s coat pocket and pulled out his encrypted company smartphone, tossing it onto the concrete just out of his reach.
"Tell Victoria her security system is entirely outdated," Maya said softly, standing back up and turning toward the dark exit ramp leading out into the cool night air. "And tell her I’m just getting started."
May you like
She walked briskly up the concrete ramp, leaving Marcus groaning in the shadows of the basement. As she emerged into the crisp midnight air of the city street, the red and blue flashing lights of a police cruiser materialized at the end of the block, cutting through the darkness with disorienting flashes.
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