Chapter 10 - The Ambush at Room 114
The neon sign of the Starlight Motel flickered weakly against the encroaching dusk. The parking lot was mostly empty, save for a few rusted sedans and a silver luxury SUV parked haphazardly near the back dumpster.
My lead security guard, a retired Navy SEAL named Lawson, raised his hand to halt our vehicle.
"Look at that silver SUV," Lawson pointed through the windshield. "Engine is still warm, exhaust pipe is ticking. That’s Eleanor Vance’s registered Mercedes."
My grip tightened on the door handle. "She's already here."
"Stay in the vehicle until we secure the perimeter," Lawson commanded, unholstering his weapon and signaling the second SUV. Four armed guards moved silently across the asphalt, slicing through the fog like shadows toward Room 114.
The door to Room 114 was slightly ajar. The brass latch had been violently splintered.
"Move, move!" Lawson barked, breaching the room with weapons drawn.
I didn't wait. Adrenaline surged through my limbs, drowning out the throbbing in my skull. I pushed open the SUV door and ran toward the room.
Inside, the motel room was completely trashed. Lamps were overturned, mattresses flipped, and luggage dumped across the floor.
On the ground near the bathroom, Eleanor Vance was pinned beneath Lawson’s knee, shrieking like a wounded animal as handcuffs were slapped onto her wrists. In her hand was a small, heavy silver revolver.
"Get off me! Get your filthy hands off me!" Eleanor screamed, spitting at the carpet. "She stole everything from us! That ungrateful little peasant destroyed my family!"
"Where is Maya?" I demanded, stepping into the room, staring down at the woman who had tried to steal my life. "Where are the children, Eleanor?"
Eleanor looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot, her face twisted with pure, venomous madness. She let out a dry, cracked laugh.
"You're too late, Claire," Eleanor sneered. "Julian took them. He wasn't in jail—his bail was processed by our private backers an hour ago. He has Maya, he has the kids, and he's taking them to the private airstrip in Sonoma."
"Why?" I asked, my heart pounding. "Why take Maya?"
"Because Maya has the master encryption key to our offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands," Eleanor hissed. "Without it, Julian and Charles can't access the eighty million dollars waiting for them in Zurich. Once Julian gets that key, Maya and her brats are going to join Rebecca on the North Ridge."
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"Not on my watch," I said.
I turned to Lawson. "Call Detective Reynolds. Tell her Julian Vance is heading to the Sonoma private airstrip. And tell her we're already on our way."
