Chapter 13 - The Inside Man
The tugboat plowed steadily through the dark, choppy waters of the bay, leaving the industrial shipping docks far behind in the misty distance. Inside the cramped, wood-paneled wheelhouse, the air smelled of diesel exhaust, old coffee, and damp wool. Clara sat on a wooden bench near the small space heater, wrapped tightly in two wool blankets, slowly regaining color in her cheeks.
Miller stood beside the helmsman, studying the contents of the canvas satchel spread out across the chart table under the dim green glow of a navigation light. Jax stepped into the wheelhouse, shaking the rain off her jacket and tossing a wet tactical vest onto the floor.
"Well, the local boys are officially off our backs," Jax said, wiping her face with a towel. "Julian’s cleanup crew is too busy explaining to the harbor patrol why they just shot up an abandoned municipal warehouse without a warrant."
Miller looked up from the financial transcripts, his expression graver than ever. He tapped a specific page with a calloused finger. "This goes deeper than Julian Vance, Clara. Look at the routing codes on page fourteen. The ultimate beneficiary isn't a shell company in the Caymans. It’s an acquisition fund managed directly by your father’s former chief legal counsel—the man Mark brought into the family business two years ago."
Clara stared at the page, a sickening realization washing over her. "David Vance. Julian’s brother."
"Exactly," Miller nodded. "They didn't just target your father’s company for a corporate raid. They orchestrated a complete financial execution to seize control of the city’s entire municipal shipping grid ahead of the upcoming port expansion vote. And Mark was their patsy, groomed from college to marry you, infiltrate the family, and sign away the controlling shares."
Clara felt a cold wave of anger push past her exhaustion. She stood up, wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders, and walked over to the chart table. The girl who had hidden in the vestry holding a bouquet of roses was gone, replaced by a woman whose focus was absolute.
"If we take this to the district attorney now, what happens?" Clara asked, her voice steady.
"If we walk into the DA’s office during normal business hours, Julian’s inside men will intercept the file before it hits a judge’s desk," Miller replied bluntly. "We need a direct channel to the federal prosecutor leading the anti-corruption strike force. And to do that, we need to draw Julian and Mark out into the open."
Jax smirked, leaning against the chart table with a sharp gleam in her eye. "And how do we do that?"
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"By letting them think they won," Clara said quietly, her eyes locking onto Miller’s. "They think I’m running scared with a single piece of paper. What happens when they realize I have the entire master server mirror?"
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