Chapter 15 - The Viper's Nest
In the dark, sprawling basement of an abandoned shipping facility on the city’s outskirts, Jasper Thorne paced back and forth like a caged animal. His clothes were dirty, and his face was gaunt, but the manic energy keeping him alive was stronger than ever.
"We need to move faster, Dominic," Jasper muttered, looking at the tall, silent man leaning against a concrete pillar. "Hailey’s forensic team will eventually track this location. She has resources we can't even imagine."
Dominic Vance took a slow drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke toward the ceiling. Unlike his emotional, arrogant brother Julian, Dominic was a cold professional. "The Robertson family is powerful, yes. But they are bound by the laws of high society. They have a reputation to protect. I do not."
"We need to get Toby," Jasper insisted, his voice cracking. "If we have the boy, Hailey will give us everything. She’ll sign over the Robertson Group’s tech patents, she’ll drop the charges against Julian, she'll do whatever we want!"
"And how do you propose we get past forty heavily armed mercenaries guarding that estate, Jasper?" Dominic asked, his voice dripping with condescension. "Your little break-in plan failed. I do things with precision. We don't attack the fortress. We lure the queen out."
Just then, the heavy metal doors of the warehouse slid open. Gillian and Priscilla walked in, carrying several shopping bags. Despite being on the run, they had spent the last of their cash on expensive makeup and designer sunglasses, refusing to let go of their delusions of grandeur.
"It’s filthy in here," Priscilla complained, wiping dust off her leather jacket. "Jasper, when are we moving to a real safehouse? I can't live like a rat."
"Shut up, Priscilla!" Jasper snapped, his temper flaring. "We are fighting for our lives here! If we don't pull this off, we all go to federal prison forever!"
"Actually," Dominic interrupted, tossing his cigarette to the floor and crushing it with his boot. "Your sister might have just given me the perfect bait. Priscilla, you still have the keys and security codes to the old Thorne family cabin in the upstate woods, don't you?"
"Yes," Priscilla frowned. "But it's abandoned. Why would we go there?"
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"We aren't going there," Dominic smiled, a terrifying, empty expression. "But we are going to make Hailey think you are hiding there. She knows you are the weakest link, Priscilla. She will come for you to get to Jasper. And when she does, she will walk right into my trap."
Dominic turned to his men, who were checking their automatic weapons in the corner. "Prepare the upstate cabin. Set the perimeter. Let's see how brave Hailey Robertson is when she’s standing in the middle of a dark forest, miles away from her father’s army."
