Sterling saw me first.

His eyes widened as he realized the depth of the mistake he had made.

“Steel,” he spat, his voice shaking despite his attempt at control. “You think you can get away with this?”

“You came to my property, Sterling,” I said, stopping ten feet away. “You brought armed men to hurt children.”

“They are my family,” Eleanor screamed, stepping toward me. “They belong to me!”

“They belong to no one who would treat them like currency,” I said.

I looked at Sterling, who was eyeing the tree line, looking for a way out.

“The local sheriff is already on his way,” Sterling said, trying to smile. “I have friends in this county, Steel.”

“Not the sheriff who was elected last month,” I said. “Marco spoke with him hours ago.”

I pulled out the tablet from my pocket and turned it toward him.

The screen displayed a live feed of his personal server, being downloaded by my team in Chicago.

“Your files are gone, Sterling,” I said. “We have the bank transfers. We have the offshore accounts.”

The color drained from his face.