Chapter 28 - The Descent
|
We scrambled into the dark, narrow service chute, sliding down the metallic incline into the subterranean belly of the Bellevue Hotel. We slammed hard onto a pile of soiled linen carts in the dimly lit basement laundry room.
Ethan hauled me out of the linen bin just as Logan dropped down behind us, landing lightly on his feet.
"We need a vehicle," Logan said, scanning the massive laundry room filled with roaring commercial dryers and steam pipes.
"Thomas has an armored SUV parked in the loading bay," Ethan said, pulling a key fob from his pocket. "If we can reach the bay, we can head straight to the waterfront."
"The waterfront?" I asked, grabbing Ethan's sleeve. "Are you insane? My father just tried to have us slaughtered! We need to go to the police, to the FBI!"
"The FBI in Seattle is compromised, Clara," Ethan replied urgently, stopping to look at me. "Assistant Director Hayes is on Arthur’s payroll. If we hand this drive over to the local field office, it will be destroyed before sunrise. The only way to stop your father is to broadcast the master ledger live onto the public servers during the Vance Global Gala."
"Broadcast it?" Logan asked, frowning. "How?"
"The gala is being live-streamed to global markets for their annual investor summit," Ethan explained. "If we overwrite their broadcast signal with the contents of this hard drive, five million investors and every federal prosecutor in D.C. will see the evidence simultaneously. Arthur won't be able to buy his way out."
"And if we fail?" I asked softly.
May you like
Ethan looked at me, his jaw set firm.
"Then we won't live to see tomorrow anyway."
