Chapter 36 - The Final TrapThe news of Odette Kingsley’s death sent shockwaves through the financial world, but Felix and Sarah didn't have time to mourn. Celeste Arden was in the wind, armed with a fortune in stolen diamonds and the knowledge of a billion-dollar offshore vault.
"She has to physically go to Geneva to cash those bearer bonds," Felix told Vance, pacing the floor of his office. "The Swiss bank won't release unregistered assets without an in-person thumbprint scan and the physical vault key."
"Interpol has flagged her passport, sir," Vance reported. "She can't fly commercial. She’s trapped in the United States."
"She won't fly commercial," Sarah said, walking into the office with a steaming cup of tea. Her eyes were sharp, her mind operating on the same strategic wavelength as her husband. "Celeste is used to private luxury. She’ll charter a black-market jet. And to do that quickly, she needs cash."
Felix stopped pacing, looking at Sarah. "The diamonds."
"Exactly," Sarah nodded. "She can't pay a smuggler pilot with a billion-dollar bearer bond she hasn't retrieved yet. She has to fence the diamonds Julian kept in his safe. And there is only one underground broker in New York who handles high-profile conflict stones on zero notice."
Felix pulled out his encrypted phone, dialing Viktor.
"Viktor," Felix ordered. "I need you to ping every dark-web channel connected to Marcus Thorne. If someone is trying to move ten million in uncut stones tonight, I want to know where the meet is happening."
Two hours later, Viktor sent a decrypted text.
Private hangar, Teterboro Airport. 11:00 PM. Thorne is meeting a blonde woman with a velvet bag. A Gulfstream jet is fueled and waiting for takeoff to Zurich.
Felix looked at the clock. It was 9:30 PM.
"Call the FBI," Sarah said, her voice resolute. "Tell Agent Vance to lock down Teterboro. We end this tonight."
May you like
Felix loaded a spare magazine into his pistol and holstered it beneath his jacket. "I'm going with them. Celeste doesn't get to walk away quietly this time. I want to see the look on her face when the cage slams shut."
|
Related Stories
