Chapter 5 - The Master Ledger
Sparks showered across the concrete floor as the destroyed computer monitor smoked and hissed violently.
Marco did not even flinch at the sudden destruction, simply returning to loading armor-piercing rounds into his magazines.
Mia reached into the deep pocket of her ruined coat with trembling fingers.
She pulled out a sleek, titanium USB drive and placed it gently on the metal table sitting between them.
"I grabbed it off the warehouse desk because it looked like a high-level encrypted storage device," Mia confessed quietly.
"I thought it might contain the security codes to open the loading dock doors, but I never had a chance to check it."
Gabriel stared at the small device, realizing it was the only piece of leverage they had left against a ruthless monster.
Marco quickly retrieved a secondary, heavily encrypted laptop from a hidden floor safe and booted it up.
Mia plugged the titanium drive into the machine and ran a rapid decryption sequence her father had taught her years ago.
The files opened seamlessly, revealing a massive, intricately detailed financial ledger that stretched back over a decade.
"This is not just a list of Sterling's illegal gambling and extortion operations," Mia gasped, her trained accountant eyes instantly recognizing the patterns.
"This is a master ledger detailing hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes paid to federal judges, city politicians, and the chief of police."
Gabriel leaned over her shoulder, realizing exactly why Sterling was completely desperate to get the drive back.
If this ledger was ever released to the federal authorities, Sterling's entire criminal empire would instantly collapse, and half the city's government would go to prison.
"We have the ultimate weapon, but we only have two hours until midnight to save Sarah," Marco reminded them grimly.
Gabriel turned to Mia, his dark eyes softening with a strange, profound gratitude.
"You have done more than enough tonight, Mia," Gabriel said softly, handing her a loaded pistol for protection.
"Marco and I are going to breach the estate, but you must stay here and guard Leo with your life."
Before Mia could argue against being left behind, all the lights in the safe house instantly went completely dark.
The sudden silence was absolutely deafening in the pitch-black apartment.
May you like
Then, the reinforced window overlooking the street completely shattered inward with a terrifying crash.
A high-caliber sniper bullet tore through the air, embedding itself deeply into the concrete wall exactly where Mia's head had been a second earlier.
