Chapter 4 - The Misdirected Order
The basement garage was pitch black except for the glowing red taillights of my armored Mercedes van.
Marco was waiting by the open side door, holding a submachine gun, two additional guards standing watch near the exit ramps.
"Get them inside!" Marco called out as the elevator doors opened.
I placed Carmen onto the plush leather seats inside the van, securing her with a warm blanket, while Isabella scrambled in beside her, holding her mother's hand tightly.
"Marco," I said, stepping back onto the concrete floor of the garage. "Where is Hector?"
"My contacts traced his phone signal," Marco said, pulling up a digital map on his tablet. "He’s hiding out at an abandoned shipping warehouse near the old docks on Pier 42. He thinks his fake SWAT team is bringing Carmen and the kid to him right now."
I pulled the micro-SD card from my pocket and handed it to Marco.
"Put this into the encrypted reader," I ordered. "Upload the full ledger data directly to the Federal Organized Crime Task Force. Copy the District Attorney, the Chief of Police, and every major news outlet in the state."
Marco’s eyes widened as he scanned the files opening on his screen. "My God... it’s all here. Every wire transfer, every bribe, every murder order signed by Hector Vance over the last five years. This doesn't just destroy him—it puts him away for three life sentences without parole."
"Good," I said, pulling out my phone. "Now I’m going to make a call."
I dialed a private, unlisted number—the personal cell line of Captain Thomas Vance (no relation to Hector), the head of the city's tactical crime unit, a man who owed me his life after I saved his brother three years ago.
"Victor?" Captain Vance answered, his voice guarded and low. "What the hell is going on at St. Jude’s Hospital? We just got a 911 report about heavy gunfire on the fifth floor!"
"Listen to me very carefully, Captain," I said, my voice echoing off the concrete walls of the underground garage. "A group of armed mercenaries impersonating officers just tried to execute a woman and her eight-year-old child inside that hospital. They were hired by Hector Vance."
"Hector Vance? The real estate developer?"
"He’s not a developer, Captain. He’s an embezzler, a murderer, and the man who wiped out the Valenti family," I declared. "I just sent the complete financial and forensic evidence directly to your personal email and the Federal Task Force."
There was a long silence on the line as Captain Vance reviewed the incoming files on his terminal.
"Jesus Christ..." Vance breathed, his tone shifting from suspicion to absolute shock. "This is... this is massive, Victor. Where is Hector now?"
"Pier 42. Old shipping warehouse," I said. "He’s waiting for his hitmen to arrive."
"I'm rolling tactical units right now," Vance promised. "We'll take him down."
I hung up the phone, turning back toward Marco. "Get Carmen and Isabella to my safehouse in the hills. Put four guards on the perimeter. Nobody goes in or out until I get back."
"Where are you going, Boss?" Marco asked.
May you like
I checked the magazine of my sidearm, slapping it back into place with a crisp, metallic CLACK.
"I'm going to Pier 42," I said cold-bloodedly. "I want to look into Hector's eyes when his world falls apart."
