Chapter 2 - The Shadow of the Colonel
Colonel Thomas Vance did not sleep. Living in a sprawling, heavily fortified compound outside Annapolis, Maryland, the retired Marine legend spent his nights monitoring global defense contracts and running security algorithms. When his encrypted phone buzzed on the mahogany desk at 2:14 AM, his heavy brow furrowed. Only three people had this number.
He answered on the first ring. "Clara."
"Dad," her voice was barely a whisper, broken by suppressed sobs. "He... he did it again. Worse this time."
The temperature in Thomas Vance’s study seemed to drop twenty degrees. His jaw clenched so hard the muscle ticked beneath his weathered skin. He stood up slowly, his posture rigid despite his sixty-five years, his eyes locking onto a wall display of framed medals and tactical maps.
"Where is he?" Thomas asked, his voice dead calm, which made it infinitely more terrifying.
"Downstairs in his study, drinking scotch and screaming at his overseas partners on a conference call," Clara whispered from her locked bedroom. "Dad, my eye... I look like I've been hit by a truck. He took my passport. He monitors my credit cards. I'm trapped here."
"You are a Vance, Clara. Vances are never trapped; they simply bide their time," Thomas said, pacing to the window overlooking his private landing strip. "Listen to me very carefully. Do not panic. Do not let him see that you've called me. I am dispatching Marcus and a team within the hour. They will be at your perimeter by 4:00 AM."
"Dad, no! If Richard finds out, he'll destroy me legally. He has high-powered lawyers, judges in his pocket—"
"Richard Sterling is a paper tiger playing in a sandbox of borrowed money," Thomas interrupted, a cold smile touching his lips. "He thinks his Wall Street connections make him untouchable. He doesn't realize that I built the surveillance networks his firm relies on. I know every shadow he hides in. Pack a single bag. Keep it light. When Marcus texts 'Clear,' you walk out the front door and don't look back."
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"And if he stops me?" Clara asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Let him try," Thomas murmured. "I've been looking for an excuse to ruin that miserable excuse of a man for three years. Tonight, he signs his own death warrant."
