Chapter 2 - The Hunters
I didn't have time to process the sheer magnitude of what I was looking at.
My phone vibrated again, displaying another encrypted message from the anonymous number.
"They know the money is gone. Leave the apartment now. Do not pack."
My blood ran completely cold.
I sprinted out of the bank, abandoning my plans to go home and instead heading straight for a crowded subway station.
As I rode the train into Brooklyn, I used a fraction of the funds to purchase a burner phone and a new laptop in cash.
I rented a cheap, rundown motel room under a fake name, locking the deadbolt and pulling the heavy curtains shut.
I opened the laptop and accessed the files Leo had given me.
There was a hidden folder labeled "For Mom," and I clicked on it with a heavy heart.
It was a video message from Leo, recorded late at night in his bedroom.
"Mom, if you are watching this, it means I made it onto the plane with Dad," Leo said, his voice surprisingly calm.
"Dad was planning to frame you for his money laundering so he could take me to Switzerland forever."
"I had to act like I hated you in court so he wouldn't suspect I knew the truth."
Tears streamed down my face as I realized the immense burden my little boy had been carrying.
He hadn't betrayed me; he had sacrificed his own innocence to keep me out of federal prison.
May you like
"I am transferring all his illicit funds to that card, but I need you to take these files to the FBI," Leo continued.
"I love you, Mom. Please hurry."
