Chapter 4 - THE HUNT BEGINS
At 6:00 AM the following morning, the sun rose over a misty, cold Seattle skyline.
Inside Laura’s cottage, the kitchen had been converted into a tactical war room. Three laptops were humming on the dining table, surrounded by legal documents, financial affidavits, and coffee cups.
Laura was on a secure conference call with two forensic accountants and an assistant district attorney.
“The freezing order is signed by Judge Vance,” Laura announced, slamming her phone down on the table with a triumphant look. “All of Daniel’s domestic accounts, including the primary operating funds for his hedge firm, are locked down tight. He can’t move five dollars without triggering an alert.”
Valerie, dressed in a sleek charcoal business suit with her hair pulled back into a tight bun, looked over the documents.
“What about the offshore account?” Valerie asked.
“That’s where it gets complicated,” Laura replied, clicking on a screen showing banking networks. “The paper Nick found contained the master encryption key, but the transfer requires a physical security token—a hardware flash drive that Daniel carries on his key ring. To stop the final twenty-five million from clearing, or to seize it back, we need that physical drive, or he has to execute the transaction from an IP address we can track.”
Just then, Valerie’s personal phone buzzed on the counter.
The caller ID showed an unlisted, burner number.
Valerie looked at Laura, who immediately hit a button to record the call and trace the location.
Valerie answered, putting it on speaker. “Hello, Daniel.”
There was a heavy, raspy breath on the line. Daniel was no longer sounding like the suave hedge fund executive. He sounded frantic, cornered, and dangerous.
“You think you’re smart, don't you, Valerie?” Daniel sneered through the speaker. “You think taking that street trash into your house makes you a hero? You’ve ruined everything!”
“You ruined yourself, Daniel,” Valerie said, her voice completely devoid of fear. “I know about Apex Horizons. I know about the Caymans. And as of twenty minutes ago, your domestic accounts are frozen.”
Daniel let out a harsh, chaotic laugh. “Do you really think I care about the domestic accounts?! That’s pocket change! The twenty-five million clears in eighteen hours, Valerie! And there’s nothing you or your ambulance-chaser friend can do to stop it!”
“Where are you, Daniel?” Valerie demanded calmly.
“I’m somewhere you’ll never find me,” Daniel hissed. “And here’s how this is going to play out: You drop the criminal charges. You tell the media that the recording was an argument taken out of context. You give me the notebook that street brat stole from me, and I leave you the house. Otherwise, I will liquidate every pension fund tied to your father’s old company, and I will make sure Thomas never gets into a college in this country.”
“If you touch my son again—”
“I don't need to touch him,” Daniel interrupted brutally. “I’ve already destroyed him emotionally. He’ll spend the rest of his life wondering why his father hated him. Think about my offer, Valerie. You have until 4:00 PM.”
The line went dead.
Laura looked at her monitor. “The trace pinged a cell tower near the Industrial District... close to the docks in South Seattle.”
Valerie turned around. Thomas and Nick were standing in the hallway doorway, having heard every word of the conversation.
Thomas looked shaken, but Nick’s gray eyes were sharp, focused, and surprisingly calm.
“He’s at the warehouse,” Nick said quietly.
Valerie walked over to him. “What warehouse, Nick?”
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“His company owns an old shipping crate facility down by Pier 42,” Nick said. “I saw him go there three weeks ago when I was looking for places to sleep out of the rain. He has a black sports car parked inside one of the blue containers.”
Valerie looked at Laura, a cold smile forming on her lips. “He isn't waiting until 4:00 PM. He’s prepping his escape right now.”
