Chapter 13 - The Sovereign’s Summons
With Cole removed, the atmosphere in the boardroom shifted from cold retribution to absolute strategy.
Walter Grange stood up, buttoning his wool overcoat. "Cole was the weak link. Victor Sterling is the head of the serpent. The moment Sterling hears the Southern District has Cole in custody, he will initiate his emergency protocols. He has a private Gulfstream fueled at Westchester County Airport around the clock."
"He won't reach the airport," Nora said calmly, walking to the head of the conference table and sliding into her father’s leather armchair.
Malcolm Devereux smiled, his aged face lighting up with genuine anticipation. "What have you done, my dear?"
"Forty minutes ago," Nora said, checking her gold wristwatch, "North Harbor exercised its legal right under the 1998 Maritime Security Agreement. As the primary port authority creditor, we have placed a maritime lien on all private airfield hangars owned by Sterling Holdings. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded every private flight originating out of Westchester, Teterboro, and Republic Airport."
Elias Winter let out a low, rumbling laugh. "You boxed him in. He’s trapped on the ground in Greenwich."
"He is not trapped," Nora corrected. "He is cornered. And a cornered predator with forty armed mercenaries is dangerous to anyone who gets in his way. That is why we are not going to Greenwich."
Julian Vance stepped forward. "Miss Bellamy, if we do not move on Greenwich, Sterling will fortify his estate. It will take a full tactical siege by the state police to extract him, and by then, half his servers will be wiped clean."
"Victor will not stay in Greenwich," Nora said with absolute certainty. "Victor is an aristocrat of crime. He believes he is Samuel Bellamy’s intellectual equal. He spent twelve years looking down on Cole because Cole was vulgar and crude. When Victor realizes he has been outplayed by Samuel’s daughter, his vanity will demand an audience."
She looked at Malcolm. "Send the summons."
Malcolm’s eyebrows lifted. "A parley? At this stage?"
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"Not a parley," Nora said, her voice dropping into a register of unyielding command. "A sovereign’s summons. Tell Victor Sterling that Miss Bellamy will receive him at the Grand Pier at midnight. If he comes, we discuss the terms of his surrender. If he does not, the Southern District unseals the indictment at six o’clock tomorrow morning, and his face will be on every television screen from Tokyo to London."
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