Chapter 2 - The Forty-Million-Dollar Freeze
Coleman sputtered, spitting mud from his lips as he thrashed against my heel. "You crazy bitch! I'll break your neck! Do you know who I am?"
"You're a nineteen-year-old child with poor footwork and an unearned ego," I said calmly, increasing the pressure on his carotid artery until his cheeks turned purple. "And if you move your left hand toward your pocket again, I will dislocate your shoulder."
Estelle finally broke her shock, marching across the lawn in high heels that sank deep into the wet turf. Her pristine face was distorted with rage.
"Get your filthy shoe off my son, Grace!" Estelle shrieked, her voice screeching across the estate. "You ungrateful, parasite trash! I let you live in the cottage out of charity after your pathetic life fell apart! You lay one hand on my boy again and I will call the sheriff, have you thrown in jail, and put your daughter in foster care!"
She reached out to slap me.
Without looking at her, my free hand caught her wrist in mid-air. My grip was iron. Estelle gasped, her eyes widening in sudden, shocking pain as I twisted her hand just enough to force her down to her knees beside her choking son.
"You won't call the sheriff, Estelle," I said softly, my voice as cold as the autumn wind. "Because if the sheriff comes, the federal agents trailing him will execute the asset-seizure warrant on this property."
Estelle sneered through her pain, trying to pull away. "You're delusional! My husband built this estate! And Vance Defense Dynamics just secured a forty-million-dollar tactical supply contract with the Department of Defense! Coleman and I are untouchable!"
"Vance Defense Dynamics," I repeated slowly. "The sub-contracting shell company you registered in Delaware four months ago using my late father's stolen estate funds as collateral?"
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Estelle went completely rigid. "How... how do you know about that?"
"Because three hours ago, before I walked out onto this lawn," I whispered, bending down so only she could hear, "I submitted a Priority-One procurement freeze to the Defense Logistics Agency. As of 2:15 p.m. today, your forty-million-dollar contract is officially suspended pending a federal audit for severe financial fraud and security breaches."
