Chapter 6 - The Teterboro Standoff
The rain returned in full force as darkness fell over New Jersey. A thick fog hung low over the tarmac of Teterboro Airport, where a private Gulfstream jet sat waiting near a private hangar, its jet engines whining softly as they idle.
Inside a sleek SUV parked near the perimeter fence, Emily watched through binoculars. She saw Blake’s black town car pull up onto the tarmac. Blake stepped out, holding eight-year-old Noah by the hand, while a nanny carried five-year-old Lily behind him. Howard Bennett followed closely, clutching two heavy metal aluminum briefcases.
"The police won't get here in time to block the flight," Marcus warned, looking at his GPS tracking map. "Blake’s private flight plan has already been cleared by international air traffic control. Once that jet takes off for Dubai, extradition will take years."
"Then we don't wait for the police," Emily said, her hands gripping the steering wheel.
"Emily, what are you doing?" Marcus asked as she shifted the SUV into drive.
"Winning," she said firmly.
She slammed her foot onto the accelerator, crashing the heavy SUV straight through the lightweight security gate of the private airfield. The tires shrieked against the wet tarmac as she cut across the runway, throwing the vehicle into a sharp skid right in front of the Gulfstream’s boarding stairs, completely blocking the path to the aircraft door.
Blake stopped dead in his tracks, shielding his eyes against the SUV's blinding high beams.
Emily threw open her door and stepped out into the pouring rain.
"Mommy!" Noah screamed, trying to pull away from Blake’s grip. "Mommy!"
"Noah! Lily!" Emily shouted back, her voice echoing over the roar of the jet engines.
"Get back in your car, Emily!" Blake roared, his face contorted in rage as he pulled Noah tighter against his side. "You're trespassing on private property! The court gave me legal custody!"
"That custody order was based on a fraudulent declaration of abandonment that you lied to sign!" Emily yelled back, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. "It’s over, Blake. The Department of Justice has already seized Apex Works' holding accounts."
Blake let out a hysterical laugh. "It doesn't matter! The money is already in international transit! In two hours, I'll be out of U.S. jurisdiction, and there is nothing you or your little auditor friend can do about it!"
"He's right about the money, Emily," Howard Bennett stammered, looking around nervously in the rain. "You can't stop the transfer."
"I don't need to stop the transfer, Howard," Emily said, turning her attention directly to the nervous notary. "Because three hours ago, Marcus Vance forwarded the Macau gambling debt records directly to Blake's lead legal counsel."
Howard froze. His face went completely drain of color. "What?"
Blake turned his head slowly toward Howard, his eyes narrowing to sharp slits. "What is she talking about, Howard?"
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"Blake, listen to me—" Howard began, stepping back.
"Howard has been skimming five percent off every offshore transaction you made through Apex Works for the past eighteen months, Blake," Emily revealed calmly in the pouring rain. "He didn't just help you frame me. He was robbing you blind while you did it."
