Chapter 25 - The Bait
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Ten minutes later, the screech of tires echoed across the concrete docks. Four heavily armored SUVs slammed to a halt at the entrance of the warehouse. The doors flew open, and Marcus Thorne stepped out, flanked by six mercenaries armed with military-grade rifles.
Thorne looked furious, his face purple with rage. He had lost his fortune, his empire was crumbling under federal raids, and the morning news cycle was about to brand him the biggest cartel boss in state history.
He walked into the warehouse, the beams of his mercenaries' flashlights sweeping the empty space.
"Ghost!" Thorne bellowed, his voice echoing off the corrugated steel roof. "Show yourself!"
Sebastian and I stood on the catwalk above, perfectly concealed in the darkness.
"He brought friends," Sebastian whispered dryly. "So much for coming alone."
"He was always a coward at heart," I replied.
I hit a button on a remote control in my pocket. Massive industrial floodlights suddenly illuminated the warehouse floor, blinding Thorne and his men for a crucial few seconds.
"Drop your weapons, Marcus," I called out from the catwalk, my voice projecting with absolute authority. "Your accounts are empty. The FBI is raiding your properties. Your empire is over."
Thorne squinted against the glaring lights, locating me on the walkway. He sneered, raising a heavy revolver.
"You think I care about the money?" Thorne shouted. "I built it once, I can build it again! But I won't do it with your shadow hanging over me. Kill them both!"
The mercenaries raised their rifles, but before they could fire a single shot, Sebastian and I moved.
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I triggered a localized EMP charge we had planted near the main breaker. The lights cut out instantly, plunging the warehouse into absolute pitch blackness. Panic erupted among Thorne's men as they fired blindly into the dark, the muzzle flashes illuminating the empty catwalk where we had stood seconds before.
We had already dropped to the ground floor, moving silently through the chaos. The Ghost had taught Thorne how to launder money, but he had never taught him how to fight in the dark.
