Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Meeting Commander Vance 

Gravel crunching under boot soles was the only sound in the empty lot as six armed men spread out, their bodies blocking every line of escape. 

I stood beside my SUV, my fingers resting lightly against the cool car door. I didn’t drop my keys. I didn’t sp I didn’t scream or flinch. In my past life, I had felt my bones crack under a rusty blade while blood froze in u throat. Six men standing in a gravel yard didn’t make my heart skip a single beat. 

The man with the scarred jawline narrowed his eyes slightly. He had clearly expected a timid heiress to drop her purse, burst into tears, or start trembling. When I simply looked back at him, my expression completely fat and still, his hand tightened on his belt strap. 

“I said, you’re coming with us, Miss Aria,” the scarred man repeated, his tone dropping an octave, far more aggressive this time to force a reaction. “Don’t make this difficult.” 

“And who is ‘us’?” I asked. My voice came out smooth, steady, and quiet, carrying across the empty yard without a single shake. “Because unless you show me a badge or a warrant, you are six armed men trespassing on private industrial property. That means if I shoot you right now, the law calls it self-defense.” 

The scarred man stiffened. Behind him, two of the guards exchanged a quick, uncertain glance.