Chapter 6 - The Bitter Sip and the Table Turned
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
"Senator Sterling isn't here to rescue his daughter," Lorenzo said, turning to
Beatrice. "He's here to execute a clean-up operation under the guise of a
federal raid. If he finds Vincent and Isabella alive, they become witnesses
against him. If he finds me alive, his entire political career is over."
"The safe in the study," Beatrice said suddenly, her eyes widening with
realization.
Lorenzo looked at her. "What about it?"
"Two weeks ago, while I was polishing the bookshelves, I saw Miss Isabella
taking photographs of documents inside your hidden floor safe," Beatrice
explained rapidly. "She placed a secondary USB drive behind the false back of
the grandfather clock in the library. She told someone on the phone that it was
her insurance policy against her father."
Lorenzo’s eyes flared with sharp admiration. "You saw that and didn't say
anything?"
"I didn't know what it meant back then," Beatrice admitted. "I thought it was
personal family business. But if Isabella kept an insurance policy against her
father, that drive contains the financial links between Senator Sterling and the
cartels."
"Marco," Lorenzo ordered over the comms. "Hold the front gates without opening
fire. Delay them with legal protocol. Demand their warrants. Buy me five
minutes."
"Understood, boss."
Lorenzo grabbed Beatrice’s hand, leading her swiftly down the rear spiral
staircase straight into the ground-floor library.
Outside, the blare of sirens and the flashing red and blue lights illuminated
the high stained-glass windows of the estate. Megaphones echoed across the
courtyard: "This is the Federal Joint Task Force! Open the gates immediately!"
Lorenzo reached the towering antique grandfather clock in the corner of the
library. He opened the glass casing, reached behind the heavy brass pendulum,
and pulled away the thin wooden backing.
There, taped to the cedar frame, was a sleek silver flash drive.
"You're a genius, Beatrice," Lorenzo murmured.
"Just observant," she replied with a modest, breathless smile.
Lorenzo plugged the drive into his encrypted satellite tablet.
Files populated the screen within seconds: bank transfers, wiretaps, offshore
shell companies in the Cayman Islands, and signed contracts between Senator
Marcus Sterling and South American drug cartels totaling over sixty million
dollars.
It was enough evidence to bury the Senator in federal prison for three
lifetimes.
Suddenly, the heavy glass of the library terrace shattered inward.
May you like
A flash grenade bounced across the parquet floor.
"Down!" Lorenzo roared, wrapping his arms around Beatrice and throwing his
weight over her as the explosive went off with a blinding, concussive roar.
