Chapter 2 - The Command Center
The black SUV smelled of leather and peppermint, a scent Victoria remembered from her childhood. Thomas, her father’s trusted driver for twenty years, didn't say a word as he helped her into the back seat, wrapping a heavy wool blanket around her shoulders.
As the gates of the Hammond estate closed behind them, Victoria looked back at the glass-fronted house. The lights in the master bedroom were blazing. Marcus was standing by the window, his phone pressed to his ear. He was calling Sloan.
Forty minutes later, the SUV pulled through the iron gates of William Sterling’s compound in the hills of Virginia. The house was heavily fortified, surrounded by high stone walls and security cameras that swept the perimeter with mathematical precision.
When the car stopped, the front door of the house opened, and William stood there. He looked older than he had three years ago—his hair was entirely silver now—but his posture was as straight as an iron rod.
Victoria stepped out of the car, her seven-month belly making her look fragile against the cold night air. William walked down the stone steps, his arms open. Victoria fell into them, sobbing for the first time since the message arrived.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," she wept against his shoulder. "I should have listened to you. He took everything. He made me think I was crazy."
"Hush, Tori," William whispered, burying his face in her hair. "You're home now. Count what you know. You are safe. I am here. And the man who tried to buy your life just made the biggest mistake of his."
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Inside the study, a massive mahogany desk was covered in digital monitors. Sitting at the keyboard was a young woman named Maya, a cybersecurity specialist William had hired within minutes of Victoria’s call.
"Tori, give Maya your phone," William said, pulling up a chair for his daughter. "We need to trace the routing number of those text messages before Marcus figures out how to wipe his digital trail."
