Chapter 9 - The Final Race
The air in Sarah's living room suddenly felt incredibly thin.
"What do you mean an emergency overnight push?" I demanded, panic rising in my chest again.
"It means Marcus must have used his broker credentials to claim the funds are needed for an international closing immediately," Sarah explained quickly.
"We have exactly twenty-eight minutes before that money hits a server in the Cayman Islands."
"Once it lands there, neither the police nor the FBI can bring it back."
There was no time to wait around at a police precinct to file a formal report.
"We have to go to the main bank branch downtown, right now," Sarah declared, grabbing her car keys.
"The branch manager there owes me a massive favor from a corporate lawsuit two years ago."
I scooped Sophie up in my arms and we sprinted out to Sarah's car.
The streets of the city were mostly empty at this hour, allowing Sarah to break every speed limit.
We careened around corners, the tires squealing as we raced toward the financial district.
"I am sending the downloaded evidence from Amanda's phone directly to the FBI cybercrimes division as we drive," Sarah said, her fingers flying across her laptop in the passenger seat while I drove.
"I've also alerted the local police to meet us at the bank."
I kept my eyes glued to the road, my foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal.
The massive, modern glass building of the bank's regional headquarters loomed in the distance.
I slammed the brakes, screeching to a halt right in front of the main glass doors.
The lobby was technically closed to the public, but the lights in the executive suites upstairs were brightly lit.
We rushed up to the heavy glass doors and hammered on them until a security guard approached.
Sarah flashed her legal bar card and shouted the branch manager's name through the glass.
The guard hesitated, but eventually clicked the electronic lock to let us inside.
"Where is David Vance?" Sarah demanded the moment we stepped into the lobby.
"Mr. Vance is upstairs in the late-night trading floor, finalizing a large wire transfer," the guard replied nervously.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized Marcus and Amanda must be up there with him to push the transaction through.
We sprinted past the guard and jumped into the executive elevator.
The digital numbers above the door climbed agonizingly slowly to the top floor.
When the elevator doors finally slid open, I stepped out onto a massive open-plan office floor.
Through the glass walls of the central conference room, I saw them.
Marcus and Amanda were sitting at a large mahogany table across from the branch manager.
Marcus had a smug smile on his face, holding a pen over a final authorization document.
I burst through the conference room doors, shattering the quiet atmosphere of the room.
"Do not sign that paper!" I shouted at the manager.
Amanda jumped up from her chair, her eyes wide with absolute terror as she looked at me.
Marcus dropped the pen and immediately reached for his waistband.
Before he could draw his weapon, the elevator dinged again, and four armed police officers rushed onto the floor.
"Drop it right now and put your hands on the table!" the lead officer bellowed, drawing his service weapon.
Marcus froze, realizing he was completely surrounded with nowhere left to run.
He slowly raised his hands, a look of pure defeat washing over his face.
Amanda collapsed back into her chair, burying her face in her hands and sobbing loudly.
The branch manager looked at Sarah in absolute shock.
"Sarah, what on earth is going on here?" the manager stammered.
"You were about to authorize a multi-million dollar wire transfer based on a forged document," Sarah replied firmly.
"Cancel the transaction immediately, David."
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The manager frantically typed on his keyboard and slammed the enter key.
He looked up at me with a shaky breath and said, "The transfer has been permanently terminated."
