Chapter 5 - The Chase at Pier 4
While Victoria Thorne was being processed at the county jail, Marcus Vance was speeding down Interstate 85 toward Charlotte Douglas International Airport in his silver Porsche 911.
Beside him on the passenger seat sat a heavy leather duffel bag containing four hundred thousand dollars in cash, three stolen passports, and encrypted hard drives containing Graves corporate secrets. Marcus glanced at his watch: 3:30 PM. His private charter flight was cleared for takeoff at 5:00 PM.
"Once I hit international airspace, Alex can't touch me," Marcus muttered to himself, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Suddenly, his dashboard navigation screen flickered red. The engine made a violent coughing sound, and the vehicle’s digital display flashed a warning message:
REMOTE ENGINE OVERRIDE ACTIVATED.
"What the hell?!" Marcus screamed, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. The car paid no attention. The electronic throttle disengaged, and the Porsche gradually slowed down, rolling onto the gravel shoulder of the highway before coming to a complete stop.
The central door locks clicked shut automatically. The power windows rolled up and locked.
Marcus frantically grabbed the door handle, pulling it violently. "Open! Open, you piece of junk!"
A smooth chime sounded through the car's Bose sound system, and the hands-free phone system connected automatically.
"Having automobile trouble, Marcus?" Alexander’s voice echoed through the speaker, cold and crystalline.
Marcus panicked, pressing buttons wildly on the dash. "Alex! What did you do to my car?!"
"Your car is registered under the Graves Corporate Fleet system," Alexander replied calmly. "Did you really think I didn't install satellite tracking and remote kill-switches on every vehicle purchased with my money?"
"Alex, listen to me!" Marcus pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. "It was Victoria! She forced me into it! She threatened to expose my old gambling debts! I only took a small cut, I swear!"
"You left an eighteen-year-old girl in agony so you could buy designer suits and charter private jets, Marcus," Alexander said, his tone devoid of any human mercy. "Look out your driver-side window."
Marcus turned his head.
Two dark blue armored SUVs pulled up behind the stranded Porsche. Six state troopers, accompanied by Daniel Reed and two federal agents, stepped out with weapons drawn.
"Step out of the vehicle with your hands up, Mr. Vance!" a state trooper barked through a megaphone.
Marcus sank back into his leather seat, his eyes hollow, realizing that his life of luxury had ended on a dirt shoulder off I-85. He slowly raised his hands as the troopers surrounded the car.
Back in the master study at the estate, Alexander clicked his phone off and set it on the mahogany desk.
Annie sat in a chair across from him, holding a brand-new tablet computer Daniel had given her. She had been the one who pointed out the corporate fleet registration codes to Daniel an hour earlier, allowing them to locate Marcus's vehicle within seconds.
"He's in custody," Alexander announced, looking at Annie. "Both of them are facing federal charges. They won't see the outside of a prison for at least fifteen years."
Annie let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief. The cloud of fear that had hung over the estate for months had finally dissipated.
"Thank you, Mr. Graves," she said softly.
Alexander looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, Annie... when I got off that plane from London this morning, I was expecting to fire people for being lazy. I never expected to find someone like you."
May you like
"I'm just a housekeeper who likes fixing things, sir," she said modestly.
"No," Alexander corrected firmly. "You are an extraordinary mind that was being wasted in a broom closet. And as long as I am alive, no talented person in my home or my companies will ever be hidden again."
