Chapter 13
By six o’clock the following morning, the private Gulfstream jet descended through dense fog over the Atlantic coastline.
The rocky shores of Newport, Rhode Island loomed below us, shrouded in a dark, supernatural ocean mist.
I stood by the oval window, watching the grand mansions of the American elite pass by underneath us.
Maya was sitting on the leather sofa, happily eating fresh pancakes prepared by the onboard chef.
William walked up beside me, handing me a glass of warm orange juice while staring out at his family home.
The Sterling Estate was a massive, thirty-room limestone castle built right on the edge of the ocean cliffs.
Black security vehicles were visible parked all along the winding gravel driveway leading up to the main house.
“Julian’s men are already inside the perimeter,” Vance reported, checking his tactical sidearm under his jacket.
“Local police won’t intervene because Julian presented a forged power of attorney to the county sheriff an hour ago.”
“We don’t need the local police,” William said, his voice dropping into pure, terrifying ice.
“I have forty private security contractors standing by at the Providence airfield.”
He looked down at me, placing a warm, reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“Lily, you and Maya stay inside the armored vehicle with Evelyn the moment we land.”
May you like
“No,” I said firmly, looking straight into the billionaire’s gray eyes.
“I know exactly which brick opens the chimney wall. You’ll waste twenty minutes looking for it without me.”
