Chapter 8 - The Federal Breach
The deafening explosion shattered the remaining glass in the ballroom, sending thick white smoke billowing across the floor.
Dozens of heavily armed federal agents poured into the room, wearing dark tactical gear and holding assault rifles.
They were not the corrupt local police; they were the elite federal task force my father's CFO had called hours ago.
"FBI! Drop your weapons immediately!" the lead agent roared, his voice cutting through the suffocating smoke.
Vivian dropped the handgun instantly, falling to her knees and sobbing as agents aggressively pinned her to the floor.
The corrupt local officers tried to run, but they were quickly surrounded and placed in heavy steel handcuffs.
Arthur lay bleeding on the marble floor, groaning in intense pain as federal medics rushed to secure his gunshot wound.
I slowly unlocked the control booth door and stepped out into the chaotic, smoke-filled ballroom.
My father walked back into the room, flanked by two federal directors who were profusely apologizing to him.
He rushed over to me, wrapping his strong, protective arms around my trembling shoulders.
"I am so proud of you, Lena," my dad whispered fiercely, kissing the top of my head.
The live stream had provided the federal agents all the undeniable probable cause they needed to raid the building.
The entire Blackwood criminal syndicate had been completely dismantled in less than twenty minutes.
An FBI evidence team began sweeping the massive room, collecting the discarded weapons and bagging the shell casings.
The lead agent walked over to Arthur, demanding he hand over the silver flash drive containing the offshore accounts.
Arthur weakly patted his tuxedo pockets, his face turning pale with genuine confusion and rising panic.
"It is gone," Arthur choked out, coughing violently as the medics loaded him onto a stretcher. "I dropped it when she shot me."
The federal agents initiated a massive, desperate search of the entire bloodstained ballroom floor.
If they did not find that specific flash drive, millions of dollars in stolen corporate funds would vanish forever.
I scanned the room carefully, replaying the chaotic events of the evening in my exhausted mind.
I suddenly remembered exactly who had been lying on the floor closest to Arthur before the paramedics took him away.
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I grabbed my father's arm, my heart sinking as the terrible realization finally washed over me.
Ethan had secretly slipped the priceless flash drive into his pocket before they loaded him into the ambulance.
