Chapter 10
The sedan sped down a desolate logging road deep within the national forest, safely away from Route 9 and any potential highway checkpoints Arthur’s associates might have set up. David parked the vehicle beneath a dense canopy of pine branches that completely shielded it from aerial or roadside view.
In the back seat, Lily had finally curled up against the door, her eyes heavy with sleep despite the morning adrenaline. Elena gently draped David’s wool coat over her, making sure her white sneakers were tucked safely out of the way. Then, she turned her attention to the front console where David had already set up a ruggedized tactical laptop connected to a high-gain satellite dish resting on the car’s roof.
"Signal is strong," David reported, his fingers flying across the keyboard with practiced speed. "We have a clean, encrypted tunnel directly to District Attorney Marcus in D.C. No intermediaries. No corrupt federal agents."
Elena pulled the secondary flash drive from her pocket—the real one, which she had successfully swapped out before meeting Vance in the diner. She handed it to David, who slotted it into the laptop’s side port without hesitation. A loading bar appeared on the screen, crawling slowly across the dark interface as gigabytes of financial records, offshore wire transfers, and internal memos began transferring securely.
"Ten seconds," David whispered, watching the progress bar tick upward: 85%, 90%, 95%...
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the forest outside.
Both of them froze. David instantly stopped typing, his hand hovering over the power kill-switch that would wipe the drive if compromised. Elena held her breath, straining her ears to listen above the gentle rustine of pine needles in the wind.
A moment later, the crunch of heavy boots on gravel sounded nearby. Two black SUVs had quietly navigated the logging trail, blocking the only exit route behind them. The doors slammed shut simultaneously.
"They found us," David whispered, his voice tense. "The satellite ping. They tracked the signal."
Elena looked back at Lily, who stirred restlessly in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible. The fierce protective instinct flared within Elena once more, burning brighter than ever. She turned back to the laptop screen. The progress bar hit 100%. Transfer Complete.
"It’s sent," Elena said quietly, a profound sense of relief washing over her face. "Marcus has the files. There’s nothing Arthur can do to stop it now."
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Before David could respond, the passenger-side window of the sedan exploded inward in a shower of glittering safety glass. A large, gloved hand reached through the jagged opening, grabbing David by the collar and violently yanking him across the center console.
"Get out of the car, you miserable rats!" a harsh voice barked from the darkness outside.
