The silence in the Lake Forest kitchen was deafening, save for the rhythmic hum of the Sub-Zero refrigerator. I stood frozen, my phone’s blue light casting harsh shadows across June Carter’s pale, terrified face. On the screen, Victor Hale’s signature—bold, crisp, and deceptively clean—mocked me.

The town car screeched to a halt in the shadows just outside the perimeter fence of the private airfield. Through the chain-link barrier, a sleek white Gulfstream jet sat on the tarmac, its twin engines whining, propellers spinning up into a deafening roar.

Standing near the mobile loading stairs was Victor Hale, his trench coat billowing in the jet wash, clutching a heavy leather briefcase.

"He's boarding," David whispered, grabbing my arm. "We have to move now."

I didn't wait for David. I sprinted toward the perimeter gate, threw my weight against a weak rusted latch, and snapped the chain clean off. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I hit the open tarmac, sprinting directly toward the idling jet.

"Victor!" I screamed over the roar of the turbines.

Victor stopped on the metal stairs, turning around slowly. When he saw me running across the tarmac alone, a cruel, mocking smirk spread across his face. He didn't run. He calmly walked back down the stairs, standing his ground as the wind whipped his hair around his face.

"Julian," Victor shouted over the noise, spreading his arms wide. "You really are a persistent bastard, aren't you?"

I skidded to a halt ten feet away from him, chest heaving, my fists trembling at my sides. "It’s over, Victor. The feds have your accounts, your shell companies, and your IT network."

Victor laughed—a cold, sharp sound that was nearly swallowed by the jet engines. "Do you really think I’d leave my life savings in domestic accounts? The money is already gone, Julian. Halfway across the world. And as for the police... look behind you."

I spun around. Two armed security guards in unmarked black tactical gear emerged from the shadows of the hangar, raising automatic rifles directly at my chest.