Chapter 11 - The Digital Web
Inside the high-tech security nerve center on the eightieth floor of the Sterling Tower, Marcus Vance sat before a wall of glowing monitors, listening to the intercepted audio feed with a set of noise-canceling headphones.
Beside him stood Lucas Sterling, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw set in a hard, dangerous line as he listened to the men plotting against his daughter.
"Victor Ross," Marcus said, tapping a key to bring up a comprehensive dossier on the main screen. "Former private military contractor, currently operating as a corporate intelligence consultant for several distressed investment funds. He was Julian Vance's primary fixer for offshore money laundering."
"They're watching Maya's school route," Lucas noted, his voice dangerously calm.
"They've deployed three surveillance vehicles over the past forty-eight hours," Marcus confirmed, pointing to GPS tracking maps on the adjacent display. "They think they're being discreet, rotating rental sedans and using cloned plates. They have no idea our counter-surveillance team flagged their transponders the second they crossed the county line."
"Do we notify the FBI?" Nathan Cruz asked, stepping into the room with a legal brief.
"Not yet," Lucas replied, turning away from the screens. "Federal indictments take months to prepare, and men like Ross know how to disappear the moment they smell an investigation. If they want to test the perimeter of my family, we are going to give them an invitation they cannot refuse."
Lucas walked over to the central console, leaning his hands against the desk.
"Marcus, initiate Protocol Aegis. Double the physical security detail on the estate using our internal tactical division. Equip Maya’s school transport with armored countermeasures, and leak a fabricated itinerary showing that I will be traveling to London for the transatlantic port summit next Thursday, leaving Maya at the estate with a reduced security rotation."
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Marcus smiled thinly, understanding the strategy. "A honey-pot trap."
"Let them come to the fortress," Lucas said, his eyes burning with cold resolve. "And we will ensure they never leave."
