Chapter 6 - The Traitor in the Shadows
Z
The public humiliation at the charity gala was the death blow to the Holloway family’s public standing, but the war was far from over. The real danger lay in the upcoming preliminary hearing, where the grand jury would decide whether to indict Richard, Vivian, and Grant on federal racketeering and kidnapping charges.
We were staying at a secure DOJ safehouse on the outskirts of the city. Lena Ortiz had arranged top-tier protection, but something felt wrong. Small details weren't adding up.
Every time Lena prepared a new motion or filed a sealed evidence submission, Richard’s defense team managed to counter it within hours, almost as if they had direct access to our internal prosecution strategy.
I sat in the safehouse kitchen, nursing a cup of black coffee, watching the rain beat against the reinforced glass windows. Emily was asleep upstairs, finally getting real rest for the first time in months.
Lena walked into the kitchen, looking exhausted, tossing a thick folder onto the table. "They filed another injunction, Frank. They're claiming the phone audio was obtained illegally without a court order under two-party consent laws."
"Two-party consent doesn't apply to active violent crime recordings," I said calmly, without looking up. "They know that. They're just stalling. But how did they know we were filing the audio log today? We only decided that in this room four hours ago."
Lena paused, her eyes narrowing. "Are you saying my team has a leak?"
"I'm saying Richard Holloway didn't build a multi-billion-dollar empire without buying people inside the system," I said, standing up. "Who has access to the encrypted drive?"
"Just me, you, Detective Miller, and Assistant District Attorney Marcus Vance."
Marcus Vance. The nephew of Judge Vance—the very corrupt judge who had been arrested three days ago.
A cold realization struck me. "Where is Marcus right now?"
"He's at the evidence locker downtown, retrieving the physical bat and phone evidence for tomorrow's hearing," Lena said, her face draining of color as she reached for her holster.
"Call him," I ordered.
She dialed his number. It rang four times before going straight to voicemail.
"We need to go. Now," I said, grabbing my coat.
We tore through the rainy streets in Lena’s unmarked Ford Explorer, sirens blaring. The evidence locker building was a fortified concrete structure in the industrial district. When we pulled into the parking lot, the rear security door was ajar, swinging gently in the wind.
We drew our sidearms and moved through the dark hallway. The security guard at the desk was slumped over, unconscious, a pool of blood forming behind his head from a blunt blow.
We rounded the corner into the main evidence vault. The shelves were torn open, boxes scattered across the floor. Standing near the back shelf was Marcus Vance, stuffing the master hard drive containing Emily's original, uncompressed audio files into a heavy duffel bag.
Standing beside him were two men in dark tactical gear—Richard Holloway's hired private mercenaries.
"Drop the bag, Marcus!" Lena shouted, aiming her weapon straight at his chest.
Marcus turned around, a frantic, desperate look in his eyes. "Lena... you don't understand. They have my family! Richard promised he'd destroy my life if I didn't get these drives!"
"He lied to you, Marcus," I stepped out from behind the doorframe, my voice low and lethal. "Just like he lies to everyone. Put the bag down."
One of the mercenaries reached for his sidearm. Before he could clear his holster, I closed the distance, grabbed his wrist, twisted it violently outward, and delivered a brutal elbow straight to his jaw. The man collapsed like a sack of bricks. The second mercenary raised his weapon, but Lena fired two quick rounds into his shoulder, dropping him instantly to the ground.
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Marcus fell to his knees, clutching the duffel bag, sobbing hysterically.
I walked over, grabbed the bag from his hands, and looked down at him. "The problem with working for monsters, Marcus, is that eventually, they run out of enemies—and then they eat you."
