Chapter 8 - The Shadow Creditors
The scarred man stepped closer, his heavy boots crunching on the splintered wood of my broken door.
Daniel was safely asleep in my bedroom, and I knew I had to keep these men away from him.
"You are making a very fatal mistake breaking into this apartment," I told the armed men calmly.
Sylvia whimpered from behind the counter, too terrified to even look up.
"The only mistake is your brother thinking he could steal from the Vargas Syndicate," the scarred man laughed.
He reached out to grab my arm, intending to drag me out into the hallway.
I did not flinch, and I did not step away from his threatening grasp.
"Do you know who owns the shell corporation that launders the Vargas Syndicate's legitimate real estate money?" I asked him smoothly.
The scarred man stopped, his hand hovering just inches from my shoulder.
"What did you just say?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Your boss, Alejandro Vargas, washes his dirty money through a firm called Obsidian Trust," I stated confidently.
"Obsidian Trust is a subsidiary of Apex Holdings, which means I am the one who keeps your entire syndicate out of federal prison," I revealed.
The armed men looked at each other in sheer confusion and sudden fear.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed a highly encrypted, international number.
The phone rang twice before a deep, heavily accented voice answered.
"Alejandro, it is Elena Vance," I spoke clearly into the speakerphone.
"Elena, my favorite banker, to what do I owe this late-night pleasure?" the syndicate boss asked warmly.
"Three of your aggressive employees just kicked my front door off its hinges," I informed him.
A heavy, terrifying silence fell over the phone line.
"Put the leader on the phone, right now," Alejandro ordered, his voice suddenly dropping to a deadly whisper.
I handed the phone to the scarred man, whose face had turned completely white.
He listened to the phone for ten seconds, nodding frantically while sweating profusely.
He handed the phone back to me and immediately holstered his weapon.
"We are incredibly sorry for the intrusion, Ms. Vance, it will never happen again," the scarred man apologized rapidly.
"What about Marcus's debt?" Sylvia cried out from behind the counter, desperate for an answer.
The scarred man looked at Sylvia with cold, dead eyes.
"Mr. Vargas just informed us that Marcus Vance is no longer a financial problem," the man said.
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"He told us to collect the debt in blood before Marcus can testify to the police," he added with a wicked smile.
Sylvia screamed in horror as the three armed men turned around and marched out of the apartment to hunt my brother.
