Chapter 3 - The Ghost
I knew I couldn't just walk into a police station with a flash drive full of cartel secrets.
Julian owned half the judges and law enforcement officials in New York City.
I needed someone who operated entirely outside the law, someone who hated Julian as much as I did.
I pulled out my burner phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in over a decade.
"Marcus," I breathed when a deep voice answered on the third ring.
"Evelyn?" Marcus asked, genuine shock echoing through the receiver.
Marcus was an ex-military intelligence officer and Julian's former head of security, until Julian tried to have him killed for knowing too much.
We met at a crowded diner in Queens, where I slid the laptop across the sticky table.
Marcus scrolled through the files, his dark eyes widening with every single click.
"Your son is a goddamn genius, Evelyn," Marcus muttered, shaking his head in sheer disbelief.
"He bypassed military-grade encryption to pull this off."
"But Julian's men are going to hunt you down, and they will not stop until you are dead."
"I don't care about my life, Marcus," I said fiercely, slamming my hand on the table.
"I care about getting my son back."
Marcus looked at me, seeing the absolute, terrifying desperation of a mother pushed to the edge.
May you like
He closed the laptop and gave me a grim, determined nod.
"Then we are going to Switzerland," he declared.
