Chapter 11
The rough asphalt scraped against the waitress's elbows as the security guard hauled her roughly to her feet.
Across the street, the roaring flames of Bistro Lumiere cast dancing orange shadows over the chaotic scene of emergency responders.
Victoria Vance turned away from the burning building, her expensive heels clicking rhythmically against the pavement as she approached them with a predatory smile.
She stopped a few feet away, adjusting the gold buttons of her black jacket with an air of absolute untouchable power.
"You really thought you could outsmart me, didn't you?" Victoria said, her voice smooth and dripping with cruel amusement. "Children playing a game they don't understand."
Before the guard could push the waitress toward the corporate car, the screech of tires echoed down the boulevard.
Marcus's pickup truck suddenly surged forward, its headlights blazing on high beam directly into Victoria's eyes, forcing her to raise a hand to shield her face.
Leo leaped out of the passenger side, holding a small digital megaphone toward the crowd of firefighters and police officers nearby.
"Attention everyone!" Leo's amplified voice boomed across the street, cutting through the roar of the fire. "Victoria Vance is the one who ordered this arson! We have unedited financial records proving her criminal conspiracy!"
Several police officers near the fire truck turned sharply toward the sound, their hands instinctively resting on their holster belts.
Victoria's confident facade instantly cracked, replaced by a surge of raw, unadulterated panic as she realized the crowd was paying attention.
"Arrest them!" Victoria screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Leo and the waitress. "They are armed and dangerous extremists!"
The security guard, distracted by the sudden chaos, momentarily loosened his grip on the waitress's arm.
Sensing her only opening, she slammed her heel down hard onto the guard's shin, twisting free from his grasp with a sharp jerk.
She bolted across the street toward Marcus, who threw open the truck door to shield her as bullets suddenly pinged off the metal frame.
Marcus fired a single warning shot into the air from his legal pistol, causing the security guard to hesitate and dive behind a parked car.
"Get in! Drive!" Marcus roared, pulling the waitress inside as Leo slammed the passenger door shut.
The truck fishtailed wildly on the wet pavement, peeling away into the night just as three police cruisers activated their sirens and gave chase.
Through the rear window, the waitress watched Victoria Vance standing amidst the flashing lights and burning ruins, screaming orders at the retreating police cars.
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"We lost the element of surprise," Leo panted, clutching the flash drive tightly against his chest as the truck raced down the highway.
"No," Marcus said, glancing in the rearview mirror with a grim smile. "We just forced her into the open. The gala is in twelve hours, and she has nowhere left to hide."
