Chapter 24 - Room 204
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The carpeted hallway of the Bellevue Hotel was dead silent as we approached Room 204. Ethan slid the silver keycard into the electronic lock. The light flashed green, and the heavy oak door opened with a soft click.
Inside, the room was dimly lit, dominated by banks of monitors, server towers, and wall-mounted maps covered in red string and photographs. It wasn't a hotel room—it was a tactical command center.
"Welcome to ground zero," Ethan said, flipping a light switch.
On the center table sat a high-powered transceiver radio and three satellite phones. Photos of Victor Vance, my father Arthur, and several high-ranking state officials were pinned across the main wall.
"You've been monitoring them from here?" I asked, walking over to examine a printout of corporate bank transfers.
"Thomas and his federal task force have been running live intercepts out of this suite for three months," Ethan replied. "We were waiting for tonight."
"Why tonight?" Logan asked, taking up a position near the window, peering through the sheer curtains down at the street below.
"Because tonight is the annual Vance Enterprises Leadership Gala at the waterfront hotel downtown," Ethan said. "Your father and Victor are finalizing the transfer of three hundred million dollars in offshore assets. Once those funds move, the paper trail dissolves forever. We have to upload the ledger's master key directly into their server network tonight during the event."
Suddenly, a red light began flashing rapidly on the main console. A low, rhythmic ping echoed through the room.
Ethan froze, his eyes dilating.
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"What is that?" I asked, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"A proximity alarm," Ethan said, reaching for his sidearm hidden under his sweater. "Someone just breached the secondary stairwell."
