Chapter 6 - The Encrypted Call
Marcus strode across the concrete floor in three long strides, snatched the ringing red receiver off the cradle, and pressed it firmly against his ear.
“Speak. We just secured the drive,” Marcus commanded, his face tightening into a hard scowl as the voice on the other end of the secure line began to speak.
Elena carefully laid Lily down on a comfortable cot in the corner of the safe house, draping a warm wool blanket over the sleeping child’s shoulders before walking over.
Marcus hung up the phone slowly, his hand lingering on the plastic receiver as a look of deep concern washed over his weathered, scarred features.
“Who was on the line, Marcus? Was it the internal affairs contact?” Elena asked sharply, crossing her arms over her chest as she braced for bad news.
“No. It wasn’t internal affairs. It was a direct burner-phone call from someone inside the maximum-security wing where Julian was just transferred,” Marcus revealed in a low, tense whisper.
Elena’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as she walked closer to the desk, leaning her hands on the cold metal surface to get closer to the investigator.
“Julian doesn’t have access to phones right now. He’s being booked on federal conspiracy charges. Who actually made that call from his cell block?” Elena demanded answers.
“It wasn’t Julian. It was his older brother, Thomas Vance, the one the family always pretended didn’t exist because of his criminal record,” Marcus said, pulling up a digital dossier.
A holographic projection flickered to life above the desk, displaying the face of a man with cold, piercing eyes and a jagged scar running down the left side of his jaw.
“Thomas Vance. The black sheep of the family who supposedly died in a warehouse fire ten years ago right before Julian took over the family business,” Elena recalled, her memory sharp.
“He didn’t die in that fire, Elena. Julian paid him off to disappear so he could inherit the entire estate alone. And now Thomas is out of prison, and he wants revenge,” Marcus warned.
Elena stared at the face of the ruthless criminal on the screen, realizing that her battle wasn’t just against her cheating husband and sister, but an entire syndicate.
“If Thomas is back, he won’t just go after Julian or Clara. He knows that I have the ledger containing the real financial roots of their illegal empire,” Elena deduced instantly.
“Precisely. And according to his message, he’s already tracking the encrypted signal of the USB drive you just pulled out of Clara’s dressing room,” Marcus said grimly.
Elena turned around to check on Lily, her heart skipping a beat as she noticed the small red blinking light on the wall security monitor facing the back alleyway.
“Marcus, look at the external security feed right now! Someone is tampering with the master power grid box outside our warehouse door!” Elena hissed urgently.
Marcus spun around, his fingers flying across the computer keyboard to pull up the high-definition thermal imaging camera pointing at the alley entrance.
The screen showed a dark, cloaked figure standing directly in front of the junction box, wielding a high-voltage cutting torch that was currently melting through the steel casing.
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“They found us way faster than we anticipated. We need to burn these drives and evacuate through the emergency storm drain immediately!” Marcus shouted, grabbing a tactical vest.
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