Chapter 15 - The Blood Contract
The silence on the other end of the radio stretched for three long, agonizing seconds before a soft, dry chuckle crackled through the speaker.
*"Captain Linda Morse,"* Victor Vance said, his voice smooth as polished marble. *"I must admit, your brother’s incompetence gave me a very low estimation of your family's spine. You, however, appear to have inherited Harold’s stubbornness. A pity it won't save you."*
"You forged my father’s name on a fraudulent note, Vance," I replied, standing over his unconscious mercenaries. "Sheriff Miller has the paperwork. The state police have the hunting knife you left on my gate."
*"The state police answer to the governor, Linda, and the governor answers to the campaign checks I write every quarter,"* Vance said dismissively. *"By noon today, the court will appoint my subsidiary as the sole receiver of the Morse estate. You are currently trespassing on land under judicial restraint. When the morning sun clears the ridge, the local marshals will arrive to remove you. If you resist, you are committing a federal felony. Drop the weapons, pack your duffle bag, and walk away. That dirt belongs to the Vance family now."*
"This dirt belongs to the United States Army veteran who bled for it," I snapped. "See you in court."
I smashed the radio beneath my boot heel, splintering it into plastic and circuit boards.
By 4:00 AM, Mac had hauled our two captured saboteurs down to the county substation in the bed of his flatbed truck, dumping them on the steps before an astonished night-shift deputy. But when we arrived at the county courthouse at 8:30 AM, dressed in clean civilian suits with Dad’s original discharge papers and title documents in hand, the trap was already sprung.
The courtroom doors were locked. A printed sign on the glass read: *Session Rescheduled by Order of the Magistrate.*
Standing in the marble hallway, flanked by two attorneys in bespoke three-piece suits, was Victor Vance. He was in his mid-forties, sleek, with silvering temples, impeccably tailored, and possessing the predatory eyes of a shark smelling chum in the water.
"Captain Morse," Vance smiled thinly, stepping forward to offer a gloved hand. I ignored it.
May you like
"Where is Judge Higgins?" I demanded.
"The Judge signed the summary order in chambers an hour ago, Miss Morse," Vance purred, pulling a stamped document from his leather briefcase. "The receiver has been appointed. Eviction enforcement is authorized for 5:00 PM today. You have eight hours to remove your personal effects from my property."
