Chapter 55 - The Ghost Attempts to Flee
While the world watched the spectacular, televised arrest of Silas Sterling, another frantic drama was unfolding entirely in the shadows.
Julian Vance sat in a dark, luxury SUV parked three blocks away from the Javits Center, watching the live feed of the Expo on his tablet. The moment the FBI agents walked onto the stage, Julian knew the war was lost. Silas had fallen, and Julian’s name was on those blockchain ledgers. The feds would be hunting him within the hour.
"Drive," Julian ordered his private driver, his voice laced with pure panic. "Get me to Teterboro Airport immediately. My private jet is fueled."
Julian intended to vanish into a non-extradition country, utilizing the millions he had already extracted from Silas to disappear forever. He had underestimated Emma Carter twice, and it had cost him his entire life.
The SUV sped through the rain-slicked streets of New York, desperately fighting the aggressive afternoon traffic. Julian frantically monitored the news feeds, watching the total collapse of Aura's stock price.
They finally reached the private aviation terminal at Teterboro. The rain was coming down in heavy, freezing sheets. Julian grabbed his briefcase, packed with bearer bonds and encrypted hard drives, and sprinted toward his sleek Gulfstream jet waiting on the tarmac.
He reached the boarding stairs, his heart hammering in his chest. He was going to escape.
"Going somewhere, Julian?" a calm, authoritative voice echoed through the rain.
Julian froze. He slowly turned around.
Standing beneath the wing of the aircraft, completely unfazed by the pouring rain, was Daniel. Flanking the COO were four massive, heavily armed former military operatives who comprised the Grand Lawson’s elite corporate security team.
"How did you find me?" Julian gasped, backing up against the stairs.
"You used your dead father’s shell company to hide your money, Julian," Daniel said, shaking his head in absolute disgust. "Do you really think Emma didn't have our cybersecurity team track the physical IP ping of your crypto wallet? We’ve been monitoring your location for three days. We knew you would run the second Silas fell."
"You can't detain me!" Julian shouted, clutching his briefcase. "You aren't federal agents!"
"No, we aren't," Daniel smiled grimly.
At that moment, the wail of police sirens pierced the sound of the rain. Three black FBI SUVs violently breached the tarmac gates, surrounding the private jet, their tactical lights blinding Julian.
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"But they are," Daniel finished, stepping back to let the federal agents swarm the disgraced aristocrat.
Julian Vance was slammed against the side of the boarding stairs, handcuffs clicking brutally shut around his wrists. The ghost of the Grand Lawson’s past was finally, permanently exorcised.
