Chapter 31 - The bloodline key
Vance froze. The steel thermos remained inches from his lips. He didn't turn around immediately, but the slight tightening of his shoulders revealed that he recognized the voice instantly.
"Marcus," Vance said, his tone conversational, almost amused. "I have to admit, dropping from the crane works was a bit theatrical for you. Age must be softening your tactical discipline."
"Tell your men to drop the rifles, Arthur," Marcus said, his voice cold iron. "The first twitch from either of your bodyguards, and your spinal cord is severed."
Vance slowly lowered the thermos to the table. He raised his hands to chest height, turning slowly to face Marcus. His face was weathered, lined with the stress of running illicit black-budget empires across three continents, but his blue eyes burned with cold calculation.
"You're a remarkable soldier, Marcus," Vance said softly. "The best team leader Chimera ever produced. But you're an atrocious strategist. You think this ends with me dying on this floor?"
Vance gestured subtly toward the laptop on the table. The screen showed an encrypted live uplink directly to an offshore banking hub in Zurich.
"Elena didn't hide money to save you, Marcus," Vance continued, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "She hid that money to buy her way out of you. Do you really believe she died in that safehouse raid in Damascus?"
Marcus didn't blink. The front sight post of his pistol never wavered from Vance’s forehead. "She bled out in my arms. I buried her in the desert."
Vance chuckled—a low, dry sound that sent a cold shudder down Marcus’s spine. "You buried an asset with a facial reconstruction and Elena’s dental records. The real Elena walked across the Turkish border with twelve million dollars in uncut diamonds and a diplomatic passport under the name Sarah Vance."
The name hit Marcus like a physical blow to the chest. *Vance.*
"She didn't want you, Marcus. She wanted out of the program. But she needed an insurance policy against me. So she placed the master decryption seed inside Tessa's biological profile, knowing that as long as the child lived, I couldn't touch her without keeping the girl safe."
From the dark conveyor chute twenty yards away, a small shadow stepped into the light.
It was Tessa. Viktor trailed behind her, looking bruised and broken, his hands held high in total surrender.
"Daddy?" Tessa’s small voice trembled across the cavernous room.
May you like
The vintage watch on Marcus’s wrist suddenly emitted a blinding pulse of blue light. The faceplate flipped open automatically, projecting a three-dimensional holographic sequence into the dusty air between Marcus and Vance. It was an iris-scan prompt, rotating in mid-air, waiting for a matching retinal signature.
Vance’s eyes widened with pure, ravenous greed. "There it is. The master ledger. Bring the girl to the console, Marcus, and I let Miller live. You and I can walk away."
