Chapter 10 - The Shadow of Viktor Petrov
While the courts stripped Marcus and Rachel of every last dime they owned, a darker storm was gathering far away from the quiet confines of the county courtroom.
In a heavily fortified private estate overlooking the rugged coastline of British Columbia, Viktor Petrov sat in a leather armchair, staring at a bank of glowing monitors displaying live feeds of the ongoing federal raids on his shell companies in Oregon.
His losses were staggering—over forty million dollars in frozen assets, seized cryptocurrencies, and compromised offshore accounts, all triggered by a single failed extortion attempt on an elderly woman’s farm.
A tall, scarred man in a dark turtleneck stepped quietly into the study, holding a secure encrypted tablet.
“Boss,” the man said in Russian-accented English. “The local authorities in Oregon have locked down Marcus and Rachel Vance. The smart-home logs and the military-grade security footage we left behind have been handed over to federal cyber investigators.”
Petrov didn't blink. He slowly raised his cigar to his lips, inhaling a deep cloud of blue smoke before exhaling toward the ceiling. “And the old woman?”
“Eleanor Vance is under 24-hour armed state police protection at her farmhouse. Captain Thomas Vance has turned her property into an operational federal safehouse.”
Petrov smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes—only the cold, calculating glare of a cornered animal with infinite resources. “She thinks she won a battle, Viktor Petrov does not lose wars over three million dollars. It’s no longer about the money.”
“What is it about, Boss?”
“It’s about message delivery,” Petrov said smoothly, stubbing out his cigar in a crystal ashtray. “If an old ranch woman in Oregon can dismantle a multi-million-dollar syndicate with a smart-home app and a shotgun, our entire network of operations across the Pacific Northwest is compromised.”
Petrov stood up, buttoning his cashmere jacket. “Send the cleaning crew. Not local mercenaries this time. Professional contractors. Make it look like an accidental gas leak in the valley. No survivors, no trace, and no more messy security cameras.”
“Understood, Mr. Petrov. When?”
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“Tonight,” Petrov replied coldly. “Before the federal agents realize what hit them.”
Little did Petrov know, the federal agents weren't guessing at all. Harrison Vance, working alongside federal cyber intelligence, had already intercepted Petrov’s encrypted satellite communications relay twenty minutes before. The trap was set, and this time, the hunter was waiting for the wolves.
