Chapter 11 - The Dead Man's Switch
Thorne’s smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, murderous glare. “I told you to come alone, and I told you no tricks. Shoot the wife.”
One of the mercenaries raised his rifle, aiming directly at Sarah’s chest.
“Do it,” Elena yelled, not flinching. “Shoot her! But if you do, the entire ledger goes live to the FBI, the IRS, and every major news network in the country in exactly ten minutes.”
The mercenary hesitated, looking at Thorne.
Thorne held up a hand, stopping his man. He took a slow step toward Elena, his eyes narrowing. “You’re bluffing. You’re a beat cop. You don’t have the infrastructure for a dead man’s switch.”
“Try me,” Elena challenged, her voice steady as a rock. “I have a federal agent sitting by a terminal right now. If I don’t call him by 6:15 a.m. with a specific clearance phrase, he hits send. Your shipping lines, your offshore accounts, your judges, your cops—all of it burns to the ground before you even finish your morning coffee.”
Silence fell over the railyard, broken only by the howling wind. Thorne stared at Elena, calculating the risk. He was a businessman above all else, and Elena had just shifted the economy of the situation.
“What do you want, Rostova?” Thorne finally asked, his voice dripping with venom.
“Let Sarah walk toward me,” Elena dictated. “When she reaches my car, I toss the drive to you. We leave. You have ten minutes to disappear before the feds start kicking down your doors anyway, because I’m not stopping the investigation. I’m just giving you a head start in exchange for her life.”
Thorne gritted his teeth. He had lost, and he knew it. The empire was compromised regardless, but he needed that drive to ensure he had the funds to vanish.
“Let her go,” Thorne ordered his men.
May you like
Sarah stumbled forward, clutching her ribs. She limped across the snowy divide, her eyes fixed on Elena. Ten yards. Five yards. She collapsed against the hood of Elena’s cruiser, sobbing in relief.
Elena raised her arm to toss the drive. But then, a fifth vehicle entered the yard.
