Chapter 14 - The Siege of Lake Forest-14
"Get the private jet prepared!" Michael roared into his headset as he drove the SUV down the mountain highway toward Zurich Airport at breakneck speed. "I want a tactical team at my home in Lake Forest in ten minutes! Authorize full lethal force!"
"No!" I shouted, holding my laptop screen. "If she sees a tactical team, she'll use Noah as a bargaining chip! She knows the layout of the house!"
On my laptop monitor, I pulled up the live, encrypted feed from the hidden camera inside Noah’s bedroom.
The door to his room was opened slowly.
Stepping into the warm, sunlit room was Evelyn Vance—wearing a dark cashmere coat, her gray hair impeccably coiffed, carrying a small leather bag.
Noah looked up from his desk where he was drawing, offering a polite, confused smile.
"Grandma Evelyn?" Noah asked softly. "Where is Mom? She said she was in Europe."
"Your mother is very busy, darling," Evelyn Vance said, her voice dripping with warm, grandmotherly affection as she walked over and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. "She asked me to come take you on a fun trip to see her in Switzerland."
"I... I should call Uncle Michael first," Noah said, reaching for his tablet on the desk.
Evelyn Vance gently, firmly took the tablet from his hands and set it face down on the bed.
"No need, sweet boy," she smiled, pulling a small silver syringe from her leather bag. "We're going to take a nice, quiet nap first."
"EVELYN!" I screamed into my laptop microphone, my voice broadcasting directly through the smart home speakers inside Noah’s bedroom. "DONT YOU DARE TOUCH MY SON!"
Evelyn Vance stopped, slowly turning her head toward the ceiling camera.
A cold, mocking smile spread across her elegant face.
"Hello, Claire," Evelyn Vance spoke calmly to the camera. "I see you finally talked to Dr. Thorne. I was wondering how long it would take a forensic accountant of your talent to spot the final line item."
"If you hurt him, Evelyn, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!" I roared, tears of sheer fury streaming down my face in the back of the speeding SUV.
"I have no desire to hurt my grandson, Claire," Evelyn replied smoothly. "He is my blood. He carries the genetic clearance to open Richard's master trust in Geneva—a trust containing four hundred million dollars that Richard stupidly locked away for public charities."
She picked up Noah, who was looking between the camera and his grandmother in terror.
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"Fly to Geneva, Claire," Evelyn commanded softly. "Bring the blue ledger files to the Private Bank of Zurich tomorrow at noon. You give me the digital clearance, I give you your son. If I see a single police officer... Noah goes to sleep forever."
The screen went black.
