Chapter 5 - The Corporate Ghost
By 3:00 AM, Elena’s kitchen table was covered in classified printouts.
The General had delivered. Richard Vance wasn't just a tech mogul; his company, Vance Dynamics, secretly manufactured drone guidance systems. Six months ago, a massive shipment of those systems went missing. Richard had quietly claimed it was a logistical error, but the files told a different story.
He had sold them to a mercenary syndicate operating out of Eastern Europe. When the Feds started sniffing around, Richard panicked and froze the syndicate’s bank accounts, trying to cut ties and play the victim.
The cartel wasn't happy. They didn't want their money back. They wanted leverage.
They wanted Julian.
Elena drank her black coffee, tracing the scar on her neck. She had walked away from war because she was tired of burying children. She had taken the bus route because it was simple. Quiet. A way to protect kids instead of sending them into the fire.
If she walked away now, Julian was dead. The cartel wouldn't stop with a failed highway ambush.
Elena went to her bedroom closet. She pushed aside the heavy winter coats and pressed her hand against a biometric scanner hidden in the drywall. The panel slid open.
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Inside was a matte-black tactical vest, a customized Sig Sauer P226, and three spare magazines.
She strapped the holster to her thigh. Commander Rostova was back on the clock.
