Chapter 43: The Setup
The meeting was arranged in an old, abandoned warehouse near the city’s shipyard, a place where the air was thick with the scent of salt and rusted steel. The girl, playing the role of the desperate student looking to bargain, arrived alone, her pulse steady despite the circumstances. The board member—the same man she had confronted in the garden—waited in the shadows, his presence radiating an arrogant, cocksure confidence. He expected her to be broken, to be begging for her mother’s safety, and the girl played the part to perfection.
"You have the deeds," he said, his voice a smooth, predatory hum. "Hand them over, and the girl goes free." He didn't see the tiny, hidden camera Elias had placed in her coat, nor did he realize that the surrounding docks were crawling with federal agents waiting for the signal. The girl reached into her bag, pulling out the folder, her hand steady, her focus total. "I want to be sure my mother is safe first," she countered, her voice trembling slightly to complete the charade.
He stepped closer, his arrogance making him careless, the perfect mark for the trap they had spent days perfecting. "You don't have the luxury of terms," he snarled, reaching for the folder. The girl felt the adrenaline spike, the signal button in her pocket hot against her thigh. She pressed it, and for one, suspended moment, the entire warehouse exploded into the chaotic, blinding light of justice being served as the feds swarmed the perimeter.
