Chapter 17 - The Counterattack
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The next forty-eight hours were a blur of intense, highly coordinated warfare. Maya, Marcus, my attorney, and I turned Maya’s living room into a command center. We handed Marcus’s decade-old documents over to the bank's fraud investigators, linking Oscar's notary stamp to both crimes. The FBI was quietly notified, as the fraud crossed state lines between Tennessee and Georgia.
"We can't just have them arrested at the house," my attorney advised, adjusting his glasses. "Brenda will claim she knew nothing about it and throw Luke under the bus. We need them to commit fully. We need them to physically attempt to take possession of the stolen asset."
"They are packing right now," I said, remembering the boxes in Chloe's living room. "They think the loan is clearing on Friday, and they plan to move into the Atlanta apartment this weekend."
"Perfect," Marcus said, his eyes gleaming. "Let them move. Let them walk right through the front door."
I called the building manager of my Atlanta high-rise and explained the situation. We arranged for the security cameras to be fully operational and provided the local police with a detailed timeline of the impending break-in.
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I didn't answer a single text or call from Luke. I let him stew in his own arrogant confidence. I let him believe he had successfully broken me.
On Friday morning, Marcus and I drove down to Atlanta. We parked across the street from my luxury building, sipping stale coffee, watching the entrance like hawks. We were waiting for the rats to walk blindly into the trap.
