Chapter 32 - The Interrogation Room
The atmosphere in the FBI secure interrogation room was suffocatingly tense.
David Ramirez sat handcuffed to a heavy steel table, shivering, his face pale and slick with cold sweat. He looked nothing like the confident, seasoned federal agent Sarah had known for five years. He looked like a man who had stared into the abyss and realized the abyss was staring back.
Sarah stood on the opposite side of the table, her arms crossed, her badge gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights.
Nathan Harper stood in the observation room behind the two-way glass, watching the man who had nearly cost him his family.
"You have one chance to mitigate the damage you've caused, David," Sarah said, her voice entirely devoid of sympathy. "You are facing federal treason, conspiracy to commit murder, and massive corruption charges. I want the cartel's hierarchy. I want names, routing networks, and physical locations."
Ramirez let out a hollow, terrifying laugh.
"You think you can stop them with an indictment, Sarah?" Ramirez whispered, his eyes wide with genuine panic. "Arthur was just an accountant. The man I met tonight... he wasn't just a proxy. He's a Sicario. A ghost. They call him El Sombra."
"The cartel sent an assassin to the States?" Sarah frowned, a cold knot tightening in her stomach.
"They didn't send him to retrieve the money," Ramirez choked out, leaning forward against the handcuffs. "The fifty million dollars is a write-off. The cartel doesn't care about the cash anymore. They care about the insult. The Harpers humiliated them. They seized their assets on a public stage."
Behind the glass, Nathan’s breath caught in his throat.
"What are you saying, David?" Sarah demanded, slamming her hands on the metal table.
"I’m saying El Sombra wasn't here to pay me," Ramirez cried, tears finally spilling down his face. "He was here to silence me before he finishes the real job. The cartel isn't going to sue the Harper Foundation, Sarah. They are going to massacre them."
"When?" Sarah asked, her blood running cold.
"Tonight," Ramirez sobbed. "The hit is already authorized. A mercenary strike team is already in the city. They are going to hit the Harper estate and burn it to the ground."
Sarah didn't wait to hear another word. She sprinted out of the interrogation room, bursting into the observation deck.
Nathan was already moving, his face a mask of absolute, terrifying determination.
"Call every SWAT unit in the city, Sarah," Nathan commanded, sprinting down the federal hallway. "I have to get to my family."
"Nathan, wait!" Sarah shouted, running after him. "The estate is compromised! You can't go back there!"
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"I'm not leaving them alone in the dark," Nathan yelled back, bursting through the precinct doors.
The war hadn't ended at Pier 44. It was just beginning.
