Chapter 18 - Inside the Falcon's Nest
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The estate of Baron Victor von Brandt was a massive stone fortress perched on a cliff overlooking the dark waters of Lake Geneva.
Armed guards in black suits equipped with ear-pieces patrolled the iron gates. Black luxury limousines lined the long stone driveway.
I stepped out of my town car wearing a custom black tuxedo, flanked by Elena—who looked stunning in an elegant charcoal gown—and David Vance carrying a single encrypted briefcase.
At the main entrance, two security officers scanned my VIP invitation—an invitation that Von Brandt himself had personally authorized thirty minutes after I leaked a rumor that I was considering selling our clean grid patent to his primary European rival.
"Mr. Mercer," the security officer said, bowing slightly. "The Baron is expecting you in the library."
We were escorted through grand marble hallways lined with hundred-year-old oil paintings and priceless antiquities.
The heavy mahogany doors of the library opened.
Sitting behind a massive antique desk, sipping a glass of brandy beside a roaring fireplace, was Victor von Brandt. He was a man in his late fifties with silver hair, cold gray eyes, and a face carved from stone.
He didn't stand up. He simply looked up from his glass, a thin, menacing smile touching his lips.
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"Ethan Mercer," von Brandt said in a deep, cultured European accent. "The man who put my favorite Chicago puppet in federal prison."
"Hello, Victor," I said, stepping into the room without fear. "I brought the paperwork you've been trying to steal for six months."
