Chapter 10 - Victor Hale’s Shadow
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The iron gates of the Paradise Valley estate opened at midnight without my authorization.
I stood on the second-floor balcony, watching a sleek black sedan glide up the curved driveway, its headlights cutting through the desert darkness. Two men in sharp dark suits stepped out first, flanking the rear door before opening it.
Victor Hale stepped onto the gravel. Even at sixty-five, he possessed the broad, formidable frame of a man who spent his youth breaking iron and his adulthood breaking men.
I walked down the grand staircase to meet him in the foyer. Irene followed close behind, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker behind her back.
“Marcus,” Victor said, his voice a deep, gravelly baritone that filled the tall rotunda. “You look just like your father when he was thirty. Rigid. Proud. Unwilling to look at the larger picture.”
“You’re trespassing, Victor,” I said, standing on the bottom step to maintain height. “Get out of my house.”
Victor chuckled, slowly unbuttoning his tailored suit jacket to reveal a pristine white shirt underneath. He didn't look like a thug; he looked like a senator, which made him infinitely more dangerous.
“This house belongs to the Hale-Sterling Development Group,” Victor said smoothly, taking a step toward me. “Your mother signed over the residential deed as collateral for the offshore restructuring three months ago. You’re living in my guest house, son.”
“She had no right to sign that,” I said, my teeth clenched so tight my jaw ached.
“She had every right,” Victor countered, his eyes shifting past me to lock onto Irene. “And your lovely wife should stop clutching that piece of iron behind her dress. It’s uncouth.”
Irene stepped forward beside me, lowering the poker but keeping her gaze fixed on him with fierce resolve.
“We know about the downtown vault, Victor,” Irene said clearly. “We know what’s inside Box 408.”
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For the briefest fraction of a second, Victor’s arrogant smile twitched. His dark eyes flickered with a sudden, lethal sharpness.
“Box 408 is empty, my dear,” Victor said softly, taking a step back toward the open front door. “And if you two know what’s good for your health, you’ll leave Phoenix by morning. Sunstroke can be fatal in the desert.”
