Chapter 47 - Whispers in the Treeline
The autumn wind whipped through the dense oak and pine trees along the northern ridge, carrying the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. The forest was dead silent, save for the crunch of gravel under heavy boots.
Vincent moved like a ghost through the shadows, his tactical instincts reawakening with every step. Maya flanked him five paces to his left, her eyes sweeping the upper canopy and the dark ravines where an assassin could easily conceal themselves.
“Movement at two o'clock,” Maya whispered through her encrypted earpiece, her voice barely louder than the rustling leaves.
Vincent halted, raising his weapon and leveling his sights toward a cluster of thick boulders near the property line. A single figure stepped out from behind the gray stone, hands raised slowly in the air to signal non-hostile intent.
The moonlight caught the sharp, aristocratic features and the tailored gray suit of the man standing in the clearing. It wasn't an assassin. It was Arthur Vance.
“Federal Prosecutor Vance,” Vincent said, his voice cold enough to freeze boiling water as he kept his weapon trained dead-center on the man’s chest. “You’re trespassing on private property, Counselor. And violating about four federal jurisdiction boundaries by standing here alone at midnight.”
Vance didn't flinch. He lowered his hands slowly, a thin, ironic smile touching the corners of his lips.
“Mr. Moretti’s right-hand man,” Vance replied smoothly, his eyes darting toward the dark silhouette of the main estate in the distance. “I didn't come here to start a firefight, Vincent. I came to deliver a message.”
“You could have sent an email,” Maya snapped, stepping out from the shadows with her weapon still raised, her finger resting lightly on the trigger guard.
May you like
“Emails can be deleted, Ms. Lin,” Vance said, turning his gaze toward her with a calculating look. “Just like the medical records from Columbus six years ago, and just like the shell corporations that funded this little palace on the lake. You think you’ve erased every trace of the Salvatore syndicate. You think Damien Moretti is a legitimate philanthropist now.”
“He is legitimate,” Vincent stated flatly. “And if you take one more step toward that gate without a signed warrant from a federal judge, you won't live long enough to argue otherwise in a courtroom.”
