Chapter 19 - The Vanguard Raid
The drive back to the underground bunker was a blur of sheer, blinding panic and murderous rage. I had walked into a charity gala thinking I could intimidate a monster with bold words, and in doing so, I had left my family completely vulnerable. I had played right into Viktor Vance's hands.
When I arrived at the safehouse, the massive steel doors were blown wide open. Ernesto was kneeling on the concrete floor, clutching a bleeding head wound, while Sofia frantically wrapped bandages around him with her good arm.
"They used military breaching charges," Ernesto coughed, leaning heavily against the steel table. "A dozen men. They grabbed Isabella and vanished before I could even draw my weapon."
I slammed my fists violently against the concrete wall, entirely overwhelmed by the massive, suffocating weight of failure. My mother had sacrificed her entire life, living as a ghost for a decade, all to protect me. Now, she was about to be executed because of a debt she incurred to save my life.
"We have exactly five hours until sunrise," I stated, my voice devoid of any emotion, replaced entirely by cold, absolute resolve. "Vance has a heavily fortified private island compound located ten miles off the coast. That is where he conducts his black-market operations."
Sofia looked at me, her face pale but fiercely determined. "Julian, it is a fortress. They have anti-aircraft turrets, heavily armed patrols, and a private army. We cannot just drive an SUV through the front gates."
"We are not going alone," Ernesto interrupted, slowly pulling himself up to his feet. He walked over to the safehouse armory and began pulling out heavy, military-grade explosives. "The cartel we dismantled last week? They hated the Vanguard just as much as we do because Vance charged them massive tribute fees. I still have the contact numbers for their rival mercenary factions."
I looked at my grandfather, realizing the absolute insanity of his plan. We were about to hire the remnants of the criminal underworld to attack the most powerful shadow syndicate in the world.
"We buy them all," I said, transferring fifty million dollars of untraceable Alvarez funds directly to the mercenary broker accounts. "We buy every gun, every helicopter, and every boat willing to fight tonight."
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Within two hours, a massive, heavily armed militia of ruthless mercenaries gathered at the abandoned naval shipyards. I stood on the rusted pier, wearing full tactical body armor, holding a suppressed assault rifle. Sofia stood by my side, refusing to stay behind despite her injury.
We boarded three heavily armored stealth boats, cutting through the freezing, pitch-black ocean waves toward the Vanguard's fortress. We were no longer playing the corporate game. We were bringing absolute war to Viktor Vance's doorstep.
