Chapter 8
The drive up into the Cascade Mountains was slow and deliberate as the heavy-duty utility truck navigated winding logging roads slick with melting snow. Elena sat in the passenger seat, watching the dense pine forests blur past the rain-streaked window. Arthur drove with practiced ease, his hands steady on the steering wheel, navigating the terrain with the familiarity of a man who had spent decades hauling timber and freight through these very mountains.
"How far out is Marcus's property?" Elena asked, breaking the long silence as they climbed higher into the frost-line.
"About twenty miles past the old lumber mill," Arthur replied, his eyes fixed on the winding road ahead. "He built an off-grid compound after the Securities and Exchange Commission stripped him of his licenses in ninety-eight. He’s lived like a hermit ever since, nursing his grievances against the corporate world."
"Do you think he’ll actually help us?" Elena asked skeptically. "If Julian is his nephew, family loyalty might outweigh his bitterness toward us."
"Marcus never cared about family, El. He cared about control," Arthur said grimly. "And Julian cutting sloppy corners that led to a federal raid would deeply offend Marcus’s obsessive code of industrial espionage. To Marcus, Julian is an amateur who botched a masterclass in corporate infiltration."
Two hours later, the truck turned down a narrow, unmarked gravel track blocked by a rusted iron gate. A solar-powered security camera pivoted mechanically toward them as they approached. Arthur brought the truck to a halt, rolled down his window, and stared directly into the lens. A harsh digital tone chimed from a speaker box mounted on the gate post.
"State your business," a raspy, disembodied voice crackled through the static.
May you like
"Marcus, it’s Arthur Sterling," Arthur called out, his voice carrying clearly over the mountain wind. "We need to talk about what your nephew tried to pull in the city."
There was a long, tense pause. The wind whistled through the pine branches overhead. Then, with a loud mechanical clunk, the iron gate unlatched and swung inward, inviting them deeper into the shadows of the mountain ridge.
