Chapter 7 - The Blood Betrayal
Her own father had ordered the hit on his estranged daughter and his own granddaughter.
The horrific revelation hit Victoria like a physical blow to the stomach.
The patriarch of the Hale family was willing to slaughter his own blood to protect his illegal empire.
Victoria realized she had been nothing but a pawn, a blind fool running the legitimate side of a massive criminal enterprise.
"Leo, you need to copy that drive and send it to every major news outlet in the country," Victoria said.
"If I do that, the Hale empire will burn to the ground, and you'll go completely broke," Leo warned.
"Burn it," Victoria said coldly, pulling Maya closer to her side.
Leo hesitated, his eyes darting nervously toward his dual monitors.
A sudden, loud ping echoed loudly from his computer speakers.
"What was that?" Victoria asked, her instincts screaming that something was terribly wrong.
Leo slowly backed away from the desk, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I'm sorry, Vic," Leo stammered, sweat pouring down his pale face.
"When I cracked the final encryption, a silent tracker activated."
"They offered me ten million dollars just to keep you here for five minutes."
Victoria didn't waste time arguing with a coward and a traitor.
She grabbed a heavy metal keyboard and smashed it directly across Leo's face.
He crumpled to the floor, groaning in intense pain.
Victoria yanked the USB drive from the computer, grabbed Maya, and ran for the back door.
They burst out into the narrow, dark alleyway behind the apartment building.
The rain had finally stopped, leaving the city air thick and oppressively humid.
They sprinted toward the main street, desperately hoping to catch another cab or disappear into the subway.
But as they rounded the corner, bright tactical flashlights blinded them entirely.
Three black SUVs blocked the entire street, doors open and engines idling menacingly.
Dozens of armed men in tactical gear stepped forward, raising their assault rifles.
The crowd parted, and a tall man in an expensive tailored suit stepped out of the shadows.
He had the exact same arrogant smile that Victoria had stared at in framed photos for years.
Richard was standing right in front of her.
May you like
"Hello, darling," Richard said smoothly.
"You always did make things incredibly difficult."
