Chapter 13 - The Siege at Dawn
The concussion wave of the breaching charge rattled the windows of the grand study, sending a shower of dust and shattered glass cascading across the Persian rug. Victoria’s tactical team spun around instantly, their assault rifles leveling toward the ruined doorway as shouting echoed up the grand staircase.
"Federal law enforcement! Drop your weapons!" a booming voice roared from the hallway.
Victoria’s calm demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a frantic desperation as she realized her ironclad grip on the situation had just been shattered. She lunged forward, grabbing Clara by the collar of her black coat with surprising strength, dragging her toward the hidden exit panel behind the bookshelf.
"You're not going anywhere!" David yelled, tackling Victoria around the waist before she could pull Clara through the gap.
The three of them tumbled hard onto the wooden floor in a tangled mess of limbs. Clara kicked out with her boot, connecting squarely with Victoria’s shoulder and forcing the older woman to release her grip. David scrambled over, pinning Victoria’s arms to the floor with his knees while the tactical team in the room found themselves outflanked by the federal agents pouring through the shattered doorway.
"Stand down! Down on the ground!" the lead federal agent shouted, his weapon trained directly on Victoria’s head as he stepped over the splintered remains of the desk.
Judge Harrison slumped entirely out of his leather chair, sliding onto the floor in defeat as he watched his entire empire disintegrate in a matter of seconds.
Victoria didn't struggle against David’s weight. Instead, she let out a sharp, breathless laugh, her dark eyes staring up at the ceiling with a chilling serenity.
"You think this is the end of the board, David?" Victoria spat, blood trickling from a small cut on her lip. "You’ve just destroyed the only umbrella protecting your company from total financial collapse. Without the Vance holdings, your firm goes bankrupt by noon."
"I don't care about the firm," David said, his voice shaking with adrenaline as he held her down against the floor. "Where is my daughter?"
Victoria smiled, her teeth stained with a faint trace of red. "Check the helicopter pad, David. If you make it in time, you might just get to say goodbye before the pilot takes off for international airspace."
Clara didn't wait to hear another word. She bolted past the federal agents, her boots pounding against the hardwood floor as she raced down the secondary hallway toward the private terrace.
"Clara, wait!" David shouted, leaping off Victoria and leaving her to the federal agents as he sprinted after her.
The morning air outside was biting and cold, carrying the smell of ozone and jet fuel. Clara burst onto the elevated stone terrace just as the twin-engine helicopter’s rotors began to spin into a deafening roar, kicking up a violent gale of wind that whipped her dark hair across her face. Through the tinted glass of the cockpit, she could see a pilot preparing for takeoff, and resting on the passenger seat beside him was a small, white baby carrier.
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Clara didn't hesitate. She threw herself against the landing skid of the rising aircraft just as the wheels cleared the edge of the stone platform.
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