Chapter 7: A Threat from the Outside
The grand mahogany double doors of Victor Vance’s private office were kicked open with tremendous force by Jax’s heavy combat boot.
Inside, the room was bathed in the warm, ambient glow of expensive designer lamps. A massive executive desk sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the darkened prison yard below. Sitting in a plush leather chair, wearing a tailored white linen suit and sipping a glass of twenty-year-old scotch, was Victor Vance. He looked immaculate, his silver hair slicked back perfectly, looking every bit the international crime lord he claimed to be.
Behind his desk stood four elite Black Crow mercenaries, their automatic rifles raised, their faces completely covered by matte-black ballistic masks.
"Well, well, well," Victor said, a proud, arrogant smile spreading across his face as he looked at Leo and the bandaged Jax standing in the doorway. "My little brother actually made it past the basement. And he brought a giant gorilla with him as a shield. How touching."
"The game is over, Victor," Leo said, his voice flat and smooth as ice as he stepped into the room. "The federal task force has already bypassed your outer shell companies. Your satellite encryption is being wiped right now by my handler on the outside."
Victor chuckled softly, taking a slow sip of his scotch. "You always were a brilliant captain, Leo. A master of the battlefield. But you never understood how the real world operates. You think this is a legal dispute? You think a few federal investigators can destroy what I’ve built?"
Before Leo could answer, a large digital monitor mounted on the office wall suddenly flickered to life, displaying a live video link from a dark, secure parking garage downtown.
Standing in the center of the screen was a tall, elegant woman in a sharp business suit, surrounded by four men in dark suits carrying heavy tactical weapons. This was Director Vance—the global head of the shadow military division that Leo used to work for, and Victor’s primary business partner on the outside.
"Leo," Director Vance’s voice echoed through the high-end office speakers, cold, sharp, and authoritative. "It has been a long time since your court-martial. I see retirement hasn't made you any softer."
Leo looked at the screen, his jaw tightening slightly. "Director. I should have known you were the one funding my brother’s operations. You’re the one who provided the military database clearances to frame me."
"Business is business, Captain," Director Vance said smoothly on the screen. "Your brother’s syndicate provides the logistics and the funding that keeps my black-ops programs active. We couldn't afford to let your expensive sense of morality expose our networks to the public. Hand over the flash drive your hacker friend gave you, Leo. If you do, I will authorize an immediate emergency pardon for you. You can walk out of Iron Gate tomorrow morning as a free man with a clean slate."
"And if I refuse, Director?" Leo asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low whisper.
"If you refuse, the tactical team currently stationed outside your friend Roxie’s apartment block will receive a single code word," Director Vance declared, a cruel, emotionless smile touching her lips. "They will breach her unit, delete her servers, and ensure she suffers an unfortunate, fatal household accident. You might be a ghost inside that prison, Captain, but your friends on the outside are very much made of flesh and blood."
Victor laughed loudly from behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with an expression of pure, sadistic triumph. "You see, Leo? You're caught in a perfect vice. Hand me the drive, sit down in your cell, and serve your twenty years like a good little boy. If you pull a trigger tonight, your little hacker girl dies before her body hits the floor."
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Leo stood perfectly still in the center of the luxurious office, the red light of the digital wall clock ticking away the seconds. He could feel Jax’s heavy breathing beside him, the giant waiting for his command. The stakes had just gone from a personal grudge to a global hostage situation.
But Leo’s face didn't show a single hint of doubt. He reached into his sleeve, slowly pulling out the silver flash drive, holding it up under the bright office lights.
