Chapter 30 - The Bait and Switch
The revelation struck Sarah like a physical blow.
David Ramirez. The man who had covered her back in dozens of raids. The man who had bought her coffee three days ago while they celebrated Arthur’s arrest. He was the mole. He was the one feeding operational data to the cartel, ensuring their money remained perfectly safe while pretending to hunt them.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Sarah asked, her voice dangerously quiet, staring at the screen.
"The terminal ID is verified by his biometric login," Ethan confirmed, pointing to the data logs. "It's him, Agent Collins. He's actively downloading the fake routing numbers to a secure external drive right now."
"He's going to sell the backdoor to the cartel to buy his own life," Nathan realized, stepping closer. "Sarah, you have to call Director Hayes. Have Ramirez arrested in the building."
Sarah shook her head, a cold, terrifying fury replacing her shock.
"If I call the Director, Ramirez claims he was just investigating a vulnerability he found on the server. He plays dumb. We don't have hard proof that he intended to give it to the cartel, only that he downloaded it."
"Then how do we prove it?" Claire asked.
"We catch him making the handoff," Sarah stated, her federal training kicking into overdrive. "Ramirez won't transmit this over the internet; it's too risky with the cyber division on high alert. He'll do a physical dead-drop with a cartel proxy in the city."
Sarah turned to Ethan. "Can you track the physical external drive he downloaded the file to?"
Ethan smiled, typing a quick command. "I embedded a geolocation beacon in the file's metadata. As long as that drive has a battery or connects to a device, it pings the nearest cell tower. I have a live lock on it."
A blinking red dot appeared on a street map of the city.
"He's leaving the federal building," Ethan reported. "He's heading south. Toward the marina district."
"He's making the drop tonight," Sarah said, pulling her sidearm from its holster, checking the magazine with ruthless efficiency.
"I'm coming with you," Nathan said firmly.
"No, you aren't," Sarah snapped, holstering her weapon. "This is a cartel exchange involving a rogue federal agent. It is a highly lethal scenario. You stay here and protect your family."
"Ramirez helped orchestrate the hit on my son," Nathan countered, entirely unyielding. "I am not sitting on the sidelines while the man who sold my family out walks free."
Sarah looked at Nathan, seeing the absolute, uncompromising determination of a father.
"You stay in the car," Sarah ordered. "And you do exactly what I tell you."
May you like
"Deal," Nathan agreed.
They hurried out of the basement, leaving Ethan to monitor the digital tracker, racing toward the marina to catch a traitor in the dark.
