Chapter 6 - The Burner Phone
The sharp, sterile dial tone hummed in my ear, a stark contrast to the boiling fury rushing through my veins. Whoever had called from that scrambled VoIP number knew my exact location, my military background, and the precise timing of the federal raid. The Prescotts were currently sitting in holding cells, stripped of their power, yet the machinery behind them remained fully operational.
I pocketed my phone and turned away from the grand bay window just as Special Agent Martin walked into the study, holding a heavy, black leather ledger.
“Colonel,” Martin said, his voice dropping low so the nearby tactical agents wouldn't overhear. “We seized this from Robert Prescott’s private wall safe. It contains a list of encrypted ledger entries dating back over a decade. But there’s a major complication.”
“Talk to me,” I ordered.
“Half of these alphanumeric routing codes don't lead to local accounts or state politicians,” Martin muttered, flipping the heavy leather page to reveal columns of cryptic offshore designations. “They route directly into a private intelligence firm registered in Zurich, tied to a shadow conglomerate called Aegis Security. This goes way beyond domestic money laundering. We’re looking at deep-state corporate espionage and illegal arms brokering.”
Before I could process the gravity of his words, a frantic radio squawk cut through the silence.
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“Command, this is Perimeter Lead. We’ve got an incoming unmarked black SUV speeding up the private access road! They’re ignoring checkpoints—!”
A heavy, sickening crunch echoed from the main gates below, followed immediately by the sharp, deafening chatter of automatic gunfire tearing through the predawn air.
