Chapter 2 - The Midnight Escape
The devastating phone call ended, leaving me sitting in the dark taxi with a furiously racing heart.
I hugged Skylar tightly against my side, praying she could not feel the sheer terror radiating from my body.
We arrived at a rundown motel on the outskirts of San Bernardino, and I paid for the room in cash under a fake name.
As soon as I locked the flimsy wooden door behind us, I opened my laptop and inserted the hidden USB drive.
I had spent six months gathering this digital evidence, and I desperately needed to find out where my money was going.
I opened the hidden folders and finally discovered the scanned copy of the fraudulent loan application.
Brandon’s corrupt friend at the bank had processed the half-million dollars, but Brandon was not the primary recipient.
I stared at the screen in absolute disbelief as I read the name of the offshore corporate account holding the funds.
The account belonged to Mr. Sterling, the wealthy and powerful CEO of the company where I worked.
My own husband had been feeding my boss insider financial data from my laptop to help him launder corporate money.
Brandon had sold me out entirely, using my house as collateral to fund his boss's illegal offshore enterprise.
I slammed the laptop shut, realizing that going to the local police with this massive conspiracy might actually get me killed.
I needed to contact my old college friend Marcus, who was now a highly respected federal prosecutor.
Before I could even dial his number, a heavy, aggressive knock echoed against the motel room door.
I froze in place, instinctively pushing Skylar behind me into the darkest corner of the small room.
The motel receptionist spoke through the thin wood, her voice trembling with obvious fear.
She nervously announced that a very angry man named Brandon was waiting for me in the lobby.
I looked down at my wrist and realized with sheer horror that I had forgotten to disable the location tracking on my smartwatch.
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Heavy, familiar footsteps began sprinting down the exterior hallway directly toward our room.
Before he could reach our door, I grabbed Skylar's hand and threw open the back window leading out to the dark alleyway.
