Chapter 13 - Midnight at the Docks
Julian's eyes flickered with a brief flash of genuine panic before his corporate mask slammed back into place. He leaned in close to Laura, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper.
"You have no proof, Laura. You have stories from a shell-shocked veteran and a detective with a grudge. Try making accusations on this floor, and I'll have the board declare you mentally incompetent before midnight."
"We don't need accusations, Julian," Daniel said quietly. "We have Victor."
Julian froze. "What did you say?"
"Victor Vance," Daniel continued smoothly. "The man you hired to cut the brake lines. The man who offered me fifty thousand dollars in cash to leave town. He's currently sitting in an interrogation room at Metro PD."
Julian's breath hitched. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Daniel smiled - a cold, terrifying expression. "You see, Victor was a professional, but he made one massive mistake. He kept a digital ledger of his off-the-books payments on an encrypted server. Detective Vance executed a search warrant on Victor's dockside apartment two hours ago."
In reality, Detective Vance was still searching for Victor, who had gone into hiding after the failed gate infiltration. Daniel was executing a classic military deception maneuver - bluffing the adversary into making a panicked move.
Julian's composure cracked completely. He backed away from Laura and Daniel, his hands shaking slightly as he motioned to his head of venue security. "Get them out of here! Clear the room!"
"Julian, wait!" Laura called out.
Julian didn't listen. He turned on his heel and rushed toward the executive service exit at the back of the ballroom, pulling his encrypted smartphone from his pocket as he ran.
"He took the bait," Daniel said to Laura. "He's going to contact Victor to verify the leak."
Daniel pulled his own radio from his jacket. "Vance, Julian just broke cover. He's heading for the service exit. Trace the cell frequency now!"
Through his earpiece, Detective Vance's voice crackled: "Got it! Cell tower ping shows he's calling a disposable satellite line located at Pier 42 at the city docks. That's where Victor is hiding!"
"I'm heading to Pier 42," Daniel said, already moving toward the side exit.
"Daniel, wait!" Laura grabbed his hand, her eyes filled with frantic worry. "It's a trap! Victor will be armed!"
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Daniel turned, looking down at her. He gently squeezed her hand. "I've spent three years hiding under a bridge, Laura. It's time I finished the job I started in that river."
Without waiting another second, Daniel sprinted out into the rainy night, heading straight into the heart of the enemy's lair.
