Chapter 6 - The Setup
The police captain frowned deeply and turned the heavy metallic device over in his hands.
There, engraved clearly into the titanium casing, was a name that made his eyes widen.
The engraving read: "Property of Marcus Vance - Authorized Personnel Only."
The captain looked at me, then looked back at the device with total confusion.
"Why does this stolen prototype have the informant's name carved into it?" the captain asked aloud.
I smiled, finally allowing myself to breathe as my security chief’s brilliant plan unfolded.
"Because my brother Marcus is the one who stole it from Horizon Dynamics," I explained smoothly.
"He tried to plant it on my son to frame me, but my security team intercepted him and swapped the bags," I added.
My security chief stepped forward and handed the captain a secure tablet.
"Here is the high-definition dashcam footage from our armored SUV showing Marcus placing this exact device into the bag," the chief stated.
The captain watched the clear video evidence of Marcus committing the crime.
He immediately signaled his officers to release my wrists and step away from me.
"Where is your brother right now, Ms. Vance?" the captain asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.
"He is currently detained in the boardroom at Horizon Dynamics, waiting for you," I smiled.
I rushed over to the armored SUV and pulled a terrified Daniel into my arms.
"I got you, sweetheart, you are perfectly safe now," I whispered into his hair.
Daniel hugged me tightly, burying his face in my neck as the police cruisers sped away with their sirens blaring.
I took Daniel back to my apartment and locked the doors, finally feeling a moment of peace.
I knew Marcus was currently sitting in a cold holding cell, facing decades in federal prison.
An hour later, there was a frantic, desperate knock at my front door.
I looked through the peephole and saw Marcus's wife, Sylvia, standing in the hallway with smeared makeup.
I opened the door, and Sylvia immediately pushed her way inside, looking around wildly.
"Elena, you have to help us, the police just raided our house and froze all our accounts!" Sylvia cried.
"Marcus made his choices, Sylvia, and now he has to pay for them," I said without an ounce of sympathy.
Sylvia grabbed my arm, her manicured nails digging painfully into my skin.
"You don't understand, Elena, the police are the least of our problems!" she sobbed.
May you like
"Marcus did not just steal that prototype to sell it on the black market," she confessed.
"He used it as collateral for a massive loan from a very violent cartel."
