Chapter 19 - THE FALL OF THE VANCE TRUST
Sirens wailed in the near distance as four federal law enforcement SUVs rounded the harbor warehouse, their high beams cutting through the heavy rain.
"Drop the drive and step away from the edge, Mara!" the lead federal agent commanded through a bullhorn, drawing his sidearm as officers fanned out across the pier access road.
Mara looked at the approaching federal agents, then at the yacht whose crew had already cut the mooring lines to abandon her, and finally at Elowen standing tall against the wind.
Recognizing that her entire world—her wealth, her control, her family legacy—had collapsed into total ruin, Mara let out a ragged, broken sob. In a final act of bitter defiance, she raised her hand to toss the flash drive into the deep, black waters of the harbor.
CLICK.
Nora stepped up beside Elowen, holding up a sleek digital receiver hooked to a long-range wireless scanner.
"Don't bother, Mara," Nora called out over the wind. "The moment you stepped within fifty feet of my van, my receiver cloned every encrypted file on that drive. The Department of Justice already has the master keys."
Mara’s hand froze in mid-air. The drive slipped from her numb fingers, clattering onto the wet wooden planks before rolling harmlessly to a stop near Elowen’s boot.
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Mara sank to her knees on the wet pier, burying her face in her hands as federal officers moved in, securing her hands behind her back and placing her under arrest.
As they led Mara away toward the waiting police transport, Elowen looked down at the flash drive, picked it up, and handed it directly to the federal prosecutor.
