Chapter 14 - The Dallas Intercept
The Texas heat beat down relentlessly on the parking lot of a strip mall outside Dallas.
Vanessa Quinn walked quickly toward her beaten-down sedan, clutching a grocery bag with trembling fingers.
Her designer dresses and million-dollar diamonds were long gone.
She wore oversized sunglasses and a faded cotton shirt, trying desperately to blend into the suburban crowd.
Her mother’s maiden name was on her new ID badge, but it offered her no real peace of mind.
Every car engine that idled behind her made her heart hammer against her ribs.
As she unlocked the driver’s side door, a black SUV abruptly cut across the lane and blocked her in.
Vanessa screamed, dropping her groceries to the asphalt.
The rear tinted window rolled down halfway.
A woman in dark aviator sunglasses looked out at her.
"Get in, Vanessa," the woman said in a flat, northern accent.
"Who are you?" Vanessa cried, backing away toward the curb.
"Leave me alone!"
"I don't have Dominic’s money!"
"Evelyn took everything!"
"I know Evelyn took everything," the woman replied coldly.
"I am Helena Vance."
Vanessa froze, the name echoing in her memory like a distant funeral bell.
Helena Vance was Julian Vance’s sister and the primary enforcer of their family’s offshore trusts.
"I don't know anything," Vanessa stammered, tears welling in her eyes.
"Dominic never told me corporate secrets."
"I was just his mistress!"
"I only cared about his credit card!"
"Don't flatter yourself, dear," Helena said with disdain.
"We know you were an empty-headed trophy."
"But before Dominic was arrested, he transferred three encrypted flash drives to your storage locker in Naperville."
"He thought he was hiding his slush funds for your future together."
Vanessa’s breath hitched.
She remembered the safe deposit box key Dominic had slipped into her purse the night before the Meridian gala.
He had told her it was insurance in case Evelyn caused trouble with the divorce settlement.
"I don't have them with me," Vanessa lied, her voice cracking.
"If you lie to me again, little girl," Helena said softly, "the federal marshals will be informed about the half-million dollars of wire transfers you laundered through your boutique."
"You will join Dominic in Terre Haute by Friday afternoon."
"Now get in the car."
Vanessa looked around the empty, blistering parking lot.
No one was coming to save her.
Dominic had used her, the Vances were hunting her, and only one person possessed the power to stand against them.
May you like
With trembling hands, Vanessa slipped her phone into her pocket and secretly pressed the emergency speed dial.
The number dialed directly to the one woman she had tried to destroy: Evelyn Mercer.
