Chapter 13 - cornered at the hangar
Daniel didn't wait in the penthouse.
Leaving Ethan, Lucy, and Sarah under the protective custody of two federal marshals, Daniel rode in Marcus’s unmarked federal SUV, tearing through the rain-slicked highway toward Teterboro Airport.
The night sky was dark, heavy with low-hanging storm clouds.
They arrived at Private Hangar 4 just as a sleek Gulfstream jet was taxiing toward the apron. Two Port Authority police cruisers had already blocked the taxiway with flashing red and blue lights, forcing the pilot to cut the engines.
Daniel stepped out into the damp chill of the airfield, watching the jet’s cabin door lower to the tarmac.
Victoria Drake descended the metal stairs, wearing a cashmere travel coat and carrying a locked leather briefcase. When she saw the line of federal cruisers and Daniel standing under the hangar floodlights, she stopped on the bottom step.
Her face was pale, but her eyes were still burning with defiant rage.
Marcus moved forward with his agents, but Daniel raised a hand. "Give me two minutes, Marcus."
Daniel walked across the wet concrete until he stood five feet from the woman he had almost married.
"It's over, Victoria," Daniel said softly.
Victoria let out a bitter, mocking laugh, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Over? Daniel, you idiot. You think you're a hero? You think Julian was an angel?"
"Julian was my brother," Daniel said, his voice steady. "And you had his brakes cut for money."
"Julian was going to destroy everything!" Victoria hissed, taking a step toward him, her poise completely shattering into raw fury. "Your father was dying, Daniel! The Carter shipping contracts were failing! I moved that money to save the firm! I invested it into tech acquisitions that made your company three hundred million dollars over the last decade! You're living off the fortune I built with that money!"
"You killed a father," Daniel said, his voice dropping into a harsh whisper. "You left a little girl to starve in public parks while you wore three-carat diamonds to charity balls."
Victoria sneered, looking down at her leather briefcase. "She wasn't supposed to be born, Daniel. Sarah was supposed to disappear quietly with the buyout check. It's not my fault Julian was weak."
"The only weak person here is you," Daniel said.
He reached down, took Victoria’s left hand, and slipped the five-carat engagement ring off her finger. He dropped the diamond into her coat pocket like a piece of cheap trash.
"Marcus," Daniel called over his shoulder without looking back. "She's all yours."
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Federal agents moved in, taking the briefcase from Victoria’s hands and securing her wrists behind her back. Victoria screamed profanities into the night rain as she was pushed into the back of the federal cruiser.
Daniel turned his back on the flashing lights, looking up into the dark sky. For the first time in eleven years, the suffocating shadow over his family felt lighter.
