Chapter 19 - The Biological Imperative
Thick white smoke floods the barrel room instantly.
The blast knocks Evelyn off her feet, sending the scalpel clattering across the concrete.
The mercenaries raise their weapons, firing blindly into the smoke.
Through the chaos, a highly synchronized team of heavily armed operatives sweeps into the room.
But they are not wearing FBI jackets or police tactical gear.
They wear completely blank, unmarked black uniforms.
They move with terrifying precision, dropping Evelyn's mercenaries in a matter of seconds with silenced headshots.
A tall man in a ballistic mask steps through the smoke, holstering his weapon.
He walks directly to me and uses a combat knife to slice through my zip-ties.
"Who are you?" I choke out, coughing from the thick smoke.
The man reaches into his vest and pulls out a satellite phone.
He hits a button and holds it to my ear.
"Hello, Emma," a deep, familiar voice echoes through the line.
My blood runs cold. "Daniel?"
"I told you I was trying to save your life," Daniel Pierce says calmly from inside his federal prison cell.
"Evelyn underestimated my reach.
She thought because I was locked away, I couldn't protect my own blood."
"You orchestrated this?" I ask, staring at the carnage around me.
"I built Vanguard, Emma. I still control the loyalists.
Now, take your journalist friend, take the drives, and run.
My men will clean up this mess and ensure Evelyn is no longer a threat."
The line goes dead.
I stare at the phone in shock.
Even from behind bars, the billionaire monster is pulling the strings of my life.
I rush over to Liam and cut his ties.
We grab his tactical backpack from the corner of the room, completely ignoring Evelyn, who is screaming in rage as Daniel's men drag her toward the back of the winery.
We do not look back.
We steal one of the mercenaries' SUVs left idling outside and speed away into the night.
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My biological father just saved my life, but I know it was not out of love.
It was about control. He wants me alive because I hold his legacy.
