Chapter 2 - The Fall Guy
The chilling reality of the spreadsheet paralyzed me for several long minutes.
Every single illegal wire transfer over the past eight years bore my forged digital signature.
Kieran had not married me because he loved me.
He had married me because my clean background made me the perfect, disposable fall guy for his family's criminal empire.
I frantically scrolled through the transaction logs, tracing the flow of dark money across international borders.
The funds were being funneled into shell companies disguised as orphanages in Eastern Europe.
I needed professional help immediately, so I grabbed my burner phone and dialed the only person I could trust.
David was a brilliant forensic accountant who owed me a massive favor from our college days.
I begged him to meet me at a rundown diner on the edge of town in twenty minutes.
I packed a small bag with cash, my passport, and the encrypted drive before rushing out the back door.
The diner was nearly empty when I slid into the cracked vinyl booth across from David.
I handed him the tablet and watched as his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
He whispered that the Abernathys were tied directly to the most dangerous weapons smugglers on the black market.
He warned me that people who uncovered this kind of ledger usually ended up at the bottom of the Mississippi River.
Before I could process his terrifying warning, the bell above the diner door jingled softly.
Three massive men wearing tailored black suits walked in and immediately locked their eyes on our booth.
May you like
David slowly reached into his jacket pocket and told me to run toward the kitchen as fast as I could.
One of the men reached inside his coat, pulling out a suppressed pistol right in the middle of the restaurant.
