Chapter 4: The Golden Pawn**
Leo stepped out of the shadows, not running away from the SUV, but walking deliberately toward a crowded subway entrance at the corner of 5th and Elm.
He intentionally allowed the streetlamp to illuminate his dirty gray hoodie.
Instantly, the doors of the black SUV flew open. Two federal operatives leaped out, earpieces glowing green, while Agent Cross emerged from the opposite corner of the street.
"Leo! Stop!" Cross bellowed, cutting through the chatter of evening commuters.
Leo didn't panic. He pulled the heavy titanium card from his pocket, raised it high in the air so the streetlights caught its matte black finish, and deliberately tossed it down an open street drain grating.
The metallic clink echoed sharply before the card vanished into the dark subterranean water below.
"Grab the grate!" Cross shouted frantically to his men. "Secure that card! Call city works, do not let that asset wash away!"
Both agents dove onto their knees on the filthy sidewalk, shining flashlights through the iron bars and scrambling for tools. Even Cross momentarily lost his focus, his eyes tracking the dark abyss beneath the street.
In that five-second window of absolute chaos, Leo melted into the crowd of rush-hour commuters entering a city bus.
He dropped two quarters into the fare box and sat at the back window, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He reached deep inside the torn lining of his right sneaker and pulled out a duplicate card. It wasn't titanium; it was a simple plastic debit replica with an encrypted magnetic strip, mirrored to the same private trust account.
Holloway had taught him well. The shiny black card was just a decoy—a glittering lure for greedy men who measured worth only by appearances.
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The bus lurched forward, carrying Leo closer to the hospital, while the federal agents remained on their knees in the gutter, clawing at shadows.
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