Chapter 2

Adelaide reached underneath the desk drawer, popped open a hidden compartment, and pulled out a black encrypted flash drive stamped with top-level defense clearance. She tossed it into the canvas duffel bag, zipped it shut, and slung the strap over one shoulder with zero hesitation before walking out the bedroom door.

As she carried the bag down the staircase, Eleanor stood in the living room with a livid face.

"If you step out that front door today, don't you ever come back!"

Adelaide did not slow her pace for a second.

"Nothing would make me happier."

She pulled open the heavy carved front doors of the villa, letting a gust of cold wind rush into the foyer. Outside on the driveway, three heavily armored black bulletproof SUVs were already idling, their engines rumbling low.

Jax Tucker, a special agent from the Pentagon wearing a black tactical vest, stepped out of the lead vehicle and strode forward to take the duffel bag from her hand.

"Ma'am, everything is ready."

Adelaide gave a slight nod, her tone as calm as if she were heading out for coffee.

"Let's go. The lab has been rushing me."

Jax turned and snapped a razor-sharp glare toward the living room window where pale figures hovered, then pulled open the rear door of the middle SUV with the crisp precision of a detail guarding a head of state. Overhead, a deafening roar of rotor blades tore through the sky, whipping fallen leaves across the manicured lawn as two pure-black Black Hawk helicopters broke through the cloud cover and hovered low over the estate, their snipers leaning out from open cabin doors to sweep the perimeter.

Ignoring the thunderous noise, Adelaide bent down and slid into the bulletproof cabin with lazy grace. Jax shut the heavy door and spoke coldly into his earpiece.

"VIP secured, codename Apex. Initiate Level One extraction protocol immediately."

Inside the quiet vehicle, Adelaide pulled the elastic band from her hair, letting her long black locks fall over her shoulders.

"New York traffic is as terrible as ever."

Jax turned slightly from the front passenger seat.

"Ma'am, the Pentagon is getting anxious. Should I request airspace clearance and fly you directly there?"

Adelaide rubbed the space between her eyebrows and closed her eyes.

"No need. Take the normal route. I don't want to be too high-profile."

The twin Black Hawks banked sharply and climbed to clear the airspace ahead, while the three armored SUVs shot out of the estate gates with screeching tires, vanishing into the main avenue.

Behind the floor-to-ceiling glass of the living room, Dwayne stood frozen where he had stumbled backward onto the sofa cushions, his face chalk-white. Only moments earlier, he had laughed at what he assumed was a cheap moving company dressed up in silly costumes, only for Jax's lethal stare and the sudden arrival of twin military gunships to rip the arrogance straight from his chest.

Eleanor clapped both hands over her mouth, her voice trembling violently as she grabbed the wall just to stay upright.

"What was that? Why were military helicopters hovering over our house?"

Brittanie dug her fingernails deep into her palms until the skin bruised, staring out at the empty driveway in sheer disbelief before turning with wide, panicked eyes.

"What kind of trouble did she stir up to bring armed forces to our doorstep?"

Dwayne swallowed hard, trying to force his trembling voice to sound steady.

"She must have crossed some major felons back in the slums and got hauled in by the FBI or SWAT for an investigation!"

Brittanie seized onto the excuse instantly.

"Yes! Addie must have broken federal law! Mom, we have to cut ties with her before she drags us down!"

Eleanor nodded rapidly, her face twisting with revulsion.

"Right. We cannot let an ungrateful convict ruin the Booth family reputation!"