Chapter 7 - The Home Invasion
Vanessa screamed and scrambled behind my legs, using me as a human shield.
The leader of the group, a man with a scarred neck, walked slowly toward us holding a suppressed pistol.
He told us to go inside the house quietly if we wanted to live to see tomorrow.
I had no choice but to unlock my front door and let the heavily armed criminals into my home.
They pushed us into the living room and forced us to sit on the floor.
The leader paced in front of the fireplace, casually inspecting my expensive artwork.
He said he was here to collect the fifty thousand dollars Vanessa promised him.
I told him Vanessa had wired the money to an offshore account controlled by David.
The man chuckled darkly and shook his head.
He revealed that David was one of their associates who helped them launder money.
David had already turned the funds over to the syndicate, but that only covered the interest on the loan.
The principal balance was still half a million dollars.
Vanessa sobbed uncontrollably, swearing she would get them the money if they just gave her one more week.
I slowly slid my hand into my jacket pocket, trying to reach the emergency panic button on my key fob.
The leader noticed my movement and aimed his gun directly at my forehead.
He told me not to try anything stupid, because he was fully authorized to execute us both.
He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a manila folder, tossing it onto the coffee table.
He said he did not care about Vanessa’s pathetic gambling habits anymore.
He looked directly at me and smiled a cold, dead smile.
He said the original half-million dollar debt did not belong to my sister.
He pointed at the folder and told me to look at the signature on the original loan agreement.
May you like
I opened the file with trembling hands.
The primary borrower on the syndicate loan was my mother.
