Chapter 12 - The Invisible Hand
"Who did this?" Vera demanded, her hands curling into tight fists at her sides. The fear that had paralyzed her earlier evaporated, replaced by a cold, searing anger. "Who tracks a shelter worker's medical routine just to stage a rescue mission in a drainage ditch?"
"A man who wants to send me a message," Vance said quietly. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out into the relentless sheets of rain lashing against the 81st Street estate. "For years, my enemies have tried to find a structural weakness in my perimeter. They've tested my banks, my docks, my lieutenants. They all failed because my empire is built on absolute detachment."
He turned back to face her, the city lights reflecting off the sharp angles of his jaw. "Until today. They realized they couldn't breach my walls from the outside, so they decided to see if I would open the gates myself for a stray animal and a terrified girl."
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The doctor, packing up his leather bag in the corner, cleared his throat nervously. "Mr. Vance, the perimeter sensors on the north gate just tripped. A black van dropped off an anonymous delivery at the security checkpoint."
Vance didn't blink. "Bring it up."
