CHAPTER 2: THE PENTHOUSE INTERROGATION
The private elevator doors slid open to reveal a sprawling penthouse suite overlooking the glittering San Francisco skyline.
Thick carpets muffled the footsteps of the armed guards swarming the perimeter of the living room.
“Sit,” Vance commanded, pointing toward a massive leather sofa that seemed to swallow Sarah and Lily whole.
Sarah wrapped her arms defensively around her daughter, scanning the room for any possible escape route.
There were none.
“The chemical analysis just came back on the spilled drink,” a tall security agent announced, marching into the room with a glowing tablet.
“And?” Vance asked, pouring himself a glass of water from a sealed bottle on the wet bar.
“Lethal dosage of a synthetic neurotoxin,” the agent reported, his face grim. “It mimics massive cardiac arrest and becomes untraceable after a few hours.”
Sarah gasped, pressing her hand over her mouth in horror.
“It’s the signature method of the Sato syndicate,” Vance noted, his jaw tightening with lethal anger.
He slowly walked over to the sofa and stared down at the struggling waitress.
“Your daughter just saved my life,” Vance said.
“She is just an imaginative girl,” Sarah lied, desperate to minimize their involvement. “It was a lucky guess, and now we really need to leave.”
“We both know that is a lie,” Vance replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
Lily pulled a small notebook out of her pocket and began drawing rapidly with a colored pencil.
“They are going to try again,” Lily stated, not looking up from her furious sketching.
“What makes you say that?” Vance asked, genuine curiosity replacing the harsh command in his tone.
“Because I heard three other men by the kitchen talking about a backup plan,” Lily answered.
She turned her notebook around, revealing a shockingly accurate portrait of a man with a distinct scar across his jaw.
“That is Sato’s top lieutenant,” the security agent breathed out, staring at the drawing in disbelief.
“Find him,” Vance ordered the agent. “Tear the city apart if you have to.”
The agent nodded sharply and practically ran out of the room to execute the command.
“You are a very special girl, Lily,” Vance said, sitting in the armchair opposite them.
“I am just a waitress trying to pay rent,” Sarah interrupted loudly, her protective anger finally overriding her fear. “We have nothing to do with your mafia wars.”
“You are involved now,” Vance stated coldly.
“Then uninvolve us,” Sarah fired back. “Let us walk out that door, and we will never breathe a word of this to anyone.”
Imagine discovering your child was suddenly the primary target of an international crime syndicate. Would you trust a mafia boss to keep you safe?
“The Sato syndicate doesn’t leave loose ends,” Vance explained, leaning forward with intense seriousness. “They know your daughter exposed their flawless plan.”
“We will move to another state,” Sarah pleaded, tears spilling over her cheeks.
“My men already checked your apartment,” Vance revealed, pulling a digital phone from his pocket.
He tossed the device onto the glass coffee table, displaying a live security feed of Sarah’s modest apartment building.
Four men in dark jackets were loitering outside her front door, clearly waiting for an ambush.
Sarah let out a choked sob, pulling Lily closer to her chest as her reality collapsed.
“They moved fast,” Vance noted grimly. “They hacked the catering company’s employee records the second the glass broke.”
“What do you want from us?” Sarah whispered, defeated by the terrifying reality on the screen.
“Your daughter has an ability that makes her incredibly valuable to my enemies,” Vance said. “She can hear and translate encrypted conversations that no adult ever could.”
“She is not a spy,” Sarah shouted, glaring at the ruthless billionaire. “She is a child.”
“She is a target,” Vance corrected sharply. “And right now, I am the only reason you are both not bleeding out in an alley.”
Lily patted her mother’s trembling hand, showing wisdom far beyond her eleven years.
“It is okay, Mom,” Lily said softly. “The angry man is telling the truth.”
Vance raised a single eyebrow, amused by the child’s blunt assessment of his character.
“My men are moving your belongings to a secure safe house as we speak,” Vance informed them.
“I cannot just disappear from my life,” Sarah argued. “I have a job, bills, Lily’s school.”
“Your debts have been erased,” Vance countered effortlessly. “Consider it a massive down payment for saving my life tonight.”
Before Vance could respond, an explosion shook the building, rattling the thick penthouse windows.
Alarms blared through the luxurious suite.
“They are already here,” Vance shouted, pulling a black handgun from a hidden compartment under the coffee table.
