Chapter 26: The Exchange
The meeting place was an abandoned steel mill on the outskirts of Gary, Indiana. The rain had turned into a torrential downpour, masking the sound of the churning lake nearby.
Victor stood alone in the center of the vast, rusted warehouse floor. He wore a tailored black suit, soaked through by the rain, looking exactly like the untouchable crime lord he used to be. In his right hand, he held a small, silver flash drive.
High up on the catwalks, hidden in the shadows, Lily lay flat on her stomach, a high-powered sniper rifle pressed into her shoulder. Marco had given her a crash course in the van. “Don’t shoot to kill,” he had said. “Shoot to distract.” Her hands shook, not from the cold, but from the terrifying reality that Victor’s life rested on her steady finger.
The heavy bay doors rolled open with a screech of rusted metal. Three black SUVs rolled into the warehouse, their headlights blindingly bright.
Agent Miller stepped out first, holding an umbrella, looking completely out of place in his neat federal windbreaker. Behind him emerged Alexander Montigue. Alexander was a sharper, younger version of his brother, with ice-blue eyes and a permanent sneer of aristocratic disdain. Dozens of heavily armed mercenaries fanned out, surrounding Victor.
"Victor Blackwood," Alexander called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "How the mighty have fallen. From a penthouse to a rusted tomb."
"The drive, Alexander," Victor said, his voice carrying effortlessly over the rain. "I give you the money, you call off the dogs, and my family walks."
"Where is the boy?" Alexander asked, taking a step forward.
"Safe. Far from here. If I don't check in within one hour, the ledger self-deletes." Victor held up the drive.
Miller scoffed. "He's bluffing. Take him."
"Wait," Alexander commanded, raising a hand. He walked toward Victor, stopping ten feet away. "Hand it over."
Victor tossed the drive. Alexander caught it, plugging it immediately into a rugged tablet held by a mercenary. The screen flared red.
ACCESS DENIED. BIOMETRIC SCAN REQUIRED.
"As I said," Victor smirked. "You need me."
Alexander’s eyes narrowed. "Fine. Cuff him. We take him to the lab. Once the drive is open, put a bullet in his head."
Two mercenaries approached Victor with heavy zip-ties. This was the moment. Victor casually glanced up at the catwalk, a micro-movement only Lily could catch.
Lily took a breath, steadied her crosshairs on a massive industrial crane hook hanging directly above the SUVs, and pulled the trigger.
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The crack of the rifle was deafening. The bullet struck the rusted holding pin of the crane. With a groan of tortured metal, a three-ton steel beam plummeted from the ceiling, crashing directly onto the lead SUV.
The ambush had begun.
