Chapter 8 - The Final Desperate Gambit
Though Victoria was safely locked behind bars, her father, Richard Croft, was still scrambling behind the scenes like a cornered rat.
Out on a multi-million-dollar bond while awaiting federal trial for corporate racketeering, Richard had one final, desperate card to play. He still retained a minority stake in a shell logistics company that contracted with our shipping ports—and he decided to use it to launch a pathetic, dangerous stunt.
It was a rainy Tuesday evening. I was in my home study reviewing architectural blueprints for the renovation of the children’s permanent bedrooms when my private comms unit buzzed sharply.
“Mr. Steel,” Marco’s voice came through, sounding tense and hyper-focused. “We have an irregular perimeter alert at the north security gate.”
I stood up instantly, sliding my tablet into my jacket pocket. “Detail?”
“Richard Croft just rammed a rented panel truck through our outer security barrier. He’s out of the vehicle, armed with a handgun, screaming that he wants to ‘talk business’ or burn the estate down.”
A cold, lethal calmness washed over me. The fool had truly lost his mind.
“Do not engage him with lethal force yet,” I ordered crisply, walking out of the study and down the grand hallway toward the security control center. “Let him cross the inner perimeter. I want him on camera trespassing on private residential property with a firearm. That guarantees a life sentence with zero bail.”
“Copy that, boss. Perimeter guards have him bracketed. He’s currently stumbling up the front drive like a lunatic.”
I bypassed the main foyer, stepping out onto the covered wraparound veranda just as the headlights of Richard’s truck smashed against the grand stone pillars of my home.
Richard staggered out of the vehicle. He looked pathetic—his designer suit rumpled, his hair disheveled, a small revolver clutched in his sweaty hand as he waved it wildly toward the house.
“Ryker! Get out here!” Richard screamed over the howling wind and rain. “You ruined my family! You stole everything! I’ll burn this whole place to the ground before I let you win!”
I stepped out from under the porch roof into the cold rain, the water soaking through my dark suit jacket, but I didn't flinch. I walked slowly down the stone steps, my hands resting casually in my pockets.
“You didn't need my help to ruin your family, Richard,” I said, my voice cutting through the storm effortlessly. “You and your daughter built this grave yourselves.”
Richard spun around, raising the revolver with a manic, unhinged snarl. “I’ll kill you right here—!”
Click.
Before Richard could even finish the sentence, four red laser sights from my invisible sniper detail locked directly onto his chest and forehead. Simultaneously, Marco and two tactical operatives materialized from the shadows behind him, kicking the weapon out of his hand with brutal efficiency and slamming him face-first into the wet gravel.
“Clear!” Marco barked, snapping steel cuffs onto Richard’s wrists with a satisfying metallic snap.
Richard shrieked into the dirt, thrashing uselessly as my security team hauled him to his feet.
I walked up slowly, looking down at the broken, miserable man who had tried to steal my family’s legacy.
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“Take him away,” I told Marco coldly. “Deliver him directly to federal marshals. Make sure his cell has a view of his daughter’s.”
As Richard was shoved into the back of a black tactical van, the storm overhead finally broke, parting the heavy clouds to reveal a brilliant sweep of stars across the Seattle sky.
