Chapter 7 - The Uninvited GuestThe corridor of the private VIP wing was dead silent. The fluorescent lights hummed faintly overhead.
My two tactical operatives were standing outside Claire’s door, their weapons drawn and pointed toward the far end of the hallway where the elevators were located.
"Status," I murmured, stepping up beside them without making a sound.
"Movement in the stairwell, Commander," Sergeant Miller whispered, his eyes locked on the heavy fire door twenty feet away. "Someone bypassed the ground-floor biometric scanner using an old admin override code. A legacy keycard that belonged to your late father."
I narrowed my eyes. Only three people in the entire state possessed an active legacy override keycard: Arthur Harris, myself, and...
Marcus.
Eleanor’s brother. A corporate shark and shady financier who had spent the last decade helping my mother siphon millions out of the family accounts, and who had managed to slip away before the federal marshals secured the estate.
"He's running scared," I muttered, the pieces clicking together in my mind. "He thinks if he can get to me, or get his hands on the master trust documents, he can force a settlement."
"Shall we terminate the entry, sir?" Miller asked, his finger resting lightly on the trigger of his suppressed carbine.
"No," I replied coldly. "Let him come. Let’s see how brave he is when he realizes he walked straight into a kill zone."
The heavy fire door clicked open. A sliver of light cut across the linoleum floor.
A heavy-set man in an expensive gray overcoat stepped out into the hallway. He looked disheveled, his tie crooked, sweat glistening on his forehead. In his right hand, he clutched a heavy brass-plated briefcase like a weapon.
Marcus stopped dead in his tracks when he saw three armed operatives standing between him and Claire’s room, with me standing right in the center.
"Daniel," Marcus breathed, his voice trembling as he lowered the briefcase slightly. "Thank God... listen to me, you have to call off those federal agents! Your mother is hysterical! You can't put your own family in prison over a bunch of trumped-up paperwork!"
I didn't move. I walked slowly down the corridor toward him, the rubber soles of my boots squeaking softly against the floor.
"Family, Marcus?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet. "Is that what you call people who try to freeze an innocent woman to death?"
"That was an accident!" Marcus shouted, panic cracking his voice. "An unfortunate misunderstanding! Look, we can make a deal! Drop the criminal charges, give us fifty percent of the offshore accounts, and I’ll disappear to Europe tomorrow. You’ll never have to look at us again!"
I stopped two feet away from him. I looked down at the briefcase in his hand, then back up into his sweat-beaked face.
"You think you’re in a position to negotiate?" I asked softly.
Marcus’s eyes darted nervously to my sidearm. "Daniel... don't be a fool. I know things about your father’s business dealings. I know secrets that could destroy your military career overnight!"
I let out a low, cold laugh.
"Marcus," I whispered, leaning in close so only he could hear. "My career is national security. You think a two-bit embezzler like you has secrets that can shake a man who hunts international syndicates for a living?"
May you like
Before Marcus could react, I moved with lightning speed. With a sharp chop of my hand, I struck his wrist, sending the heavy briefcase clattering to the floor. Before he could scream, I swept his legs out from under him and pinned him facedown to the linoleum, pressing my knee firmly into the center of his back.
"Miller," I said, not breaking eye contact with the ceiling. "Get the federal marshals back on the line. Tell them Uncle Marcus just checked into the ward."
