Chapter 15 - The Trap at Forest Road 4
Midnight in the Sierra Nevada mountains was a masterclass in absolute stillness. The moonlight filtered down through a dense canopy of snow-laden pines, casting long, skeletal shadows across the rusted remnants of the old logging camp off Forest Road 4.
An idling tactical SUV sat completely concealed among a cluster of thick brush fifty yards off the main access trail. Inside, the cabin was dark, illuminated only by the faint, greenish glow of tactical monitors and thermal scopes.
“They took the bait, Commander,” Ethan whispered, adjusting the night-vision overlay on his tactical display. “David Vance just pulled up in a beat-up sedan rental. He’s alone, clutching a battered leather briefcase like it’s filled with gold bullion.”
I stared at the thermal feed on my screen, watching David’s glowing red silhouette step out of the sedan, shivering violently against the sub-zero mountain wind.
“He thinks he’s meeting an anonymous blackmail contact who can help him flee the country,” I said quietly, leaning back in the passenger seat. “In reality, Michael Vance routed that burner call through a secure proxy server right from our home office.”
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“You’re drawing him out into the open to finish it legally,” Ethan noted, a slight smirk playing across his lips. “Conspiring with an unknown entity to conceal fugitive assets is a felony all on its own.”
“Let’s go watch him realize how small his world has become,” I said, opening the door and stepping out into the freezing alpine night.
