Chapter 14: The Final Bargain
The red emergency lights pulsed against the stone walls of the vault, casting long, jittery shadows across the rows of stolen ledgers. Richard Vance stood outside the half-sealed steel door, the tip of his imported cigar glowing like a dying ember in the gloom. He didn't look like a man cornered by federal agents; he looked like a curator admiring a prized exhibit in a museum.
“You’re trespassing on private federal evidence, Richard,” Arthur shouted from behind the barricade of steel filing cabinets, his hand resting firmly on his sidearm. “Put down the weapon and surrender now, or you’ll share a cell with Julian.”
Richard let out a smooth, condescending chuckle, taking another slow puff of his cigar. “Federal evidence, Arthur? Let’s be entirely realistic. The Department of Justice hasn't logged this vault into the active docket yet. As far as the public record is concerned, this property is still a private residential estate protected by diplomatic real estate trusts.”
Marcus kept his pistol leveled directly at Richard’s chest through the gap in the door. “Try telling that to the tactical team outside the perimeter fence. They’ll be breaching the main house in less than three minutes.”
Richard smiled, stepping slightly closer to the doorframe. “Let them breach. By the time they reach this sub-basement, the thermal incinerator built into the ceiling of this archive will have turned every single piece of paper, every hard drive, and every ledger into white ash.”
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