Chapter 5 - The Trap SpringsVictoria’s hand began to tremble. She stared at the flash drive, then at Evelyn Vance’s unshakable gaze.
"Don't listen to her!" the lead guard growled, grabbing Victoria’s arm. "She’s pulling psychological tricks! Hand over the drive and let's go!"
"Wait," Victoria gasped, pulling her arm back. "Let me check."
She quickly plugged the drive into a portable tablet she carried in her briefcase. Her fingers flew across the screen, accessing the encrypted files. As the lines of code resolved, her face drained of all color.
"The... the account..." Victoria whispered, horror dawning in her eyes. "It’s in my name... but the authorization routing is set to auto-report to the FBI for money laundering the moment the transfer completes!"
"Marcus didn't hire you to be his partner, Victoria," Liam said quietly, taking a step toward her. "He hired you to be his fall guy. Tomorrow, when he takes over the company, he was going to turn you in to the authorities to prove he was 'cleaning up' corporate corruption."
"No... no, no, no!" Victoria screamed, dropping the tablet. "That bastard!"
"Give me the drive, Victoria," Liam said, extending his hand. "Help us put him away, and my legal team will guarantee your full immunity."
Victoria looked at the armed guards surrounding them. The guards weren't Marcus’s men—they were mercenaries hired through a third-party security firm. Seeing that the situation was turning, the lead guard lowered his weapon.
"We aren't paid enough to get wrapped up in a federal raid," the lead guard muttered. "We’re out."
Within minutes, the mercenaries pulled back, leaving Victoria trembling in the middle of the room. She handed the silver drive to Liam, her eyes wide with fear.
"What do we do now?" she sobbed. "Marcus has the board meeting locked down tomorrow. He’s already bought off six of the eight board members!"
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Liam turned to his mother, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face.
"He bought six board members," Liam said. "But he forgot about the ninth."
