Chapter 7 - The Final Stand"Don't shoot! Nobody shoot!" Vance snarled, dropping his rifle to the marble floor with a heavy clatter. His men, seeing the dozens of red laser dots painted across their chests, immediately followed suit, tossing their weapons aside and raising their hands.
Marcus descended the grand staircase with a squad of loyal estate enforcers, moving swiftly to zip-tie the intruders and secure their gear.
Nathaniel walked down the steps slowly, stopping a few feet in front of Vance.
"You thought you could slip in while the house was vulnerable," Nathaniel said quietly, looking down at the defeated mercenary boss. "You forgot one fundamental rule about the Crowe empire, Victor: We built our foundations in the dark, and we know every shadow in this house."
Vance spat blood onto the polished marble. "You won't keep the council quiet forever, Nathan. There are others above me. Others you can't touch."
"Let them come," Nathaniel replied calmly. "I have the evidence, I have the federal backing, and I have something you will never understand."
May you like
Nathaniel turned his gaze toward the grand hallway, where Claire and Lily were standing safely near the reinforced panic room doors. Lily was rubbing her eyes sleepily, looking at the chaos with mild curiosity, while Claire looked back at Nathaniel with a mix of awe, relief, and profound gratitude.
Within twenty minutes, local federal law enforcement units—alerted by Marcus before the jammer fully took effect—swarmed the estate, taking Vance and his remaining men into federal custody. The Vanguard threat was neutralized in a single, surgical stroke.
