Chapter 16 - The Trap is Sprung
In the pitch-black apartment, Claire’s instincts screamed. She immediately dropped to the floor, pulling Maya beneath her, shielding her daughter's body with her own.
"Ethan! Julian!" she whispered frantically.
"I’m here," Ethan’s voice came from the darkness near the kitchen. "Julian, where are you?"
Before Julian could answer, the beam of a high-powered flashlight cut through the darkness, blinding them. Behind the light stood two tall, muscular men in dark tactical gear. They didn't look like police. They didn't look like federal agents.
"Don't move," a cold, professional voice commanded. "We only want the laptop. And the woman."
"Like hell you do!" Ethan roared.
He lunged toward the first man, tackling him to the ground. In the chaos, the flashlight dropped, rolling across the floor and casting long, erratic shadows up the walls.
"Claire, run!" Julian yelled, grabbing his laptop and throwing himself into the second intruder to block his path.
Claire scrambled to her feet, clutching Maya to her chest. She ran toward the back exit of the apartment, her heart hammering against her ribs. She could hear the sounds of a brutal struggle behind her—the grunts of pain, the shattering of furniture, the desperate gasps of her brother and Julian trying to hold the men off.
She burst through the fire exit into the concrete stairwell, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She ran down the stairs, her boots echoing loudly in the enclosed space.
Five flights. She had to make it to the lobby.
But as she reached the second-floor landing, the door below her swung open.
Standing on the stairs, blocking her path, was Victoria Vance.
The attorney looked immaculate, her tailored suit crisp, but her expression was cold, calculating, and predatory. In her hand, she held a small, sleek black taser.
"Hello, Claire," Victoria said, her voice smooth and unbothered by the chaos upstairs. "You’ve been a very difficult woman to deal with. But your little crusade ends tonight."
"You're a lawyer!" Claire cried, backing up the stairs. "You're a partner at a major firm! How can you do this?"
"I am a businessman, Claire," Victoria sneered, stepping up the stairs, forcing Claire backward. "And the Sterling family has been my largest client for fifteen years. Do you have any idea how much of my own money is tied up in Grant’s offshore funds? If Vivian goes down, my firm goes down. I cannot allow that to happen."
"We unlocked the ledger, Victoria," Claire said, trying to buy time, her eyes searching the stairwell for any escape route. "The FBI already has the data. It’s over!"
Victoria laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "The FBI has nothing. My associates upstairs are currently deleting the files from your friend's laptop, and they will ensure that both your brother and the journalist do not survive the night to testify. As for you... you are going to write a very lovely suicide note, explaining how the grief of Daniel’s death drove you to jump from the bridge. And Maya... Maya will finally come home to her grandmother."
"Never," Claire hissed, her fear suddenly vanishing, replaced by a cold, lethal rage.
She looked down at Maya, who was staring up at her with wide, terrified eyes.
Claire knew she couldn't outrun Victoria on the stairs. She couldn't fight her while holding her baby.
"Maya, hold on to Mommy," Claire whispered.
With a sudden, explosive burst of speed, Claire didn't run away. She charged directly down the stairs at Victoria.
Victoria, caught off guard by Claire’s sudden aggression, raised the taser to fire. But Claire grabbed the attorney's wrist, slamming it against the concrete handrail. The taser clattered to the floor, sparking violently.
The two women tumbled down the concrete steps, crashing onto the landing. Claire protected Maya with her body, taking the brunt of the impact on her shoulder.
Victoria scrambled to her feet, her face twisted in rage, her elegant hair ruined. She lunged for Claire’s throat.
But before she could reach her, the fire door on the landing burst open.
Agent Marcus Vance and a team of heavily armed FBI agents flooded the stairwell, their weapons drawn.
"FBI! Don't move! Drop to the ground!"
Victoria froze, her hands hovering in the air as the red laser sights of the agents' rifles painted her chest.
Claire collapsed onto the concrete floor, clutching Maya tightly, sobbing with a mixture of sheer terror and profound relief.
May you like
Upstairs, the sounds of struggle had ceased. Within minutes, Ethan and Julian were escorted down the stairs by medics. They were battered and bruised, but alive.
"We got them, Claire," Ethan gasped, offering her a bloody but triumphant smile. "We got them all."
