Chapter 9 - The Final Audit
Before Amber could respond, the security monitor on the wall let out a sharp, high-pitched alert chime.
Both women turned their heads toward the screens. On monitor six, which covered the basement distribution room beneath the store, a figure in a dark raincoat was moving rapidly between the industrial storage racks.
It was Marcus. He hadn't left the property.
He was standing in front of the main server hub with a small canister of industrial thermite and a road flare, preparing to incinerate the store's physical data drives to destroy the evidence of his embezzlement network.
"He knows," Amber breathed, horror dawning on her face. "He knows you took the store, and he's burning the evidence!"
Victoria didn't panic. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her black smartphone, and pressed a single speed-dial button.
"Phase two," Victoria said into the mic. "Execute."
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Instantly, the heavy steel fire doors of the basement storage bay slammed down on automated hydraulic tracks, sealing the exits with a loud, metallic thud. On the monitor, Marcus dropped his flare in terror, rushing toward the heavy doors and pounding his fists against the reinforced steel, but it was useless.
Through the side doors of the basement, four armed federal agents clad in tactical gear burst into the frame, their weapons raised as they forced Marcus to his knees, snapping heavy steel cuffs onto his wrists.
