Lucas Strikes Back
Detective Sarah Collins didn't wait until morning.
Within an hour of Vanessa's warning, she called an emergency meeting at the Financial Crimes Unit.
Around the conference table sat federal investigators, cybercrime specialists, and prosecutors who had spent nearly two years chasing Lucas Reed.
Sarah placed a photograph of Lucas in the center of the table.
"Everything changes today."
One of the agents frowned.
"Because of Vanessa?"
Sarah nodded.
"She confirmed what we've suspected from the beginning."
"There are people financing him."
The room fell silent.
Another investigator spoke.
"So Lucas isn't the mastermind."
"No."
Sarah looked around the room.
"He's the recruiter."
"The face."
"The man victims remember."
"But someone else has been collecting the money."
Across town, Lucas Reed sat alone in a luxury apartment overlooking the river.
The television was muted.
Every news channel carried the same headline.
Businessman Assists Fraud Investigation.
His name hadn't appeared publicly.
Not yet.
He knew it was only a matter of time.
His phone buzzed.
A single message appeared.
You failed.
Lucas swallowed.
A second message followed almost immediately.
Clean everything.
Then a third.
No witnesses.
The sender's number was hidden.
Lucas stared at the screen for several seconds before deleting every message.
For the first time in years...
He looked afraid.
At the Harper mansion, uniformed officers replaced the private security guards at every entrance.
Nathan watched them through the front window.
"I never imagined I'd need police protection."
Sarah stood beside him.
"Neither did the other victims."
Claire joined them.
"Has Lucas contacted anyone?"
Sarah shook her head.
"No."
"That's what worries me."
Ethan walked downstairs carrying his backpack.
"I'm going to school tomorrow."
Everyone looked at him.
"No."
Nathan answered immediately.
"It's too dangerous."
"I can't hide forever."
Claire gently took the backpack from his shoulder.
"This isn't hiding."
"It's surviving."
Ethan wanted to argue.
Instead, he noticed the fear in his mother's eyes.
He quietly nodded.
Meanwhile, forensic investigators arrived at Horizon Development's downtown office.
The reception area looked untouched.
Computers remained on.
Coffee cups still sat on desks.
But something felt wrong.
One technician inserted a flash drive into the main server.
Nothing.
"No files."
Another searched the accounting system.
"Everything's gone."
Sarah walked into the office moments later.
"Deleted?"
The technician shook his head.
"Worse."
"The hard drives were wiped using military-grade software."
Another investigator opened a filing cabinet.
Empty.
Every contract.
Every invoice.
Every employee record.
Gone.
Someone had spent hours erasing the company's existence.
Then one young forensic analyst called out.
"Detective!"
Sarah hurried over.
"What did you find?"
The analyst pointed beneath a desk.
A small portable hard drive had been taped underneath with black electrical tape.
Whoever cleaned the office had missed it.
Sarah carefully placed it into an evidence bag.
"Let's hope they made one mistake."
Back at the detention center, Vanessa requested another interview.
Sarah entered the room alone.
Vanessa looked exhausted.
"I remembered something."
Sarah switched on the recorder.
"What is it?"
Vanessa stared at the table.
"Lucas kept a storage unit."
"Where?"
"I don't know the address."
"What did he keep there?"
"I never saw inside."
"Then how do you know?"
"Because every time he finished a job..."
She hesitated.
"...he celebrated there."
Sarah frowned.
"Celebrated?"
"He called it his insurance policy."
"What does that mean?"
Vanessa slowly looked up.
"He recorded everyone."
Sarah's eyes narrowed.
"Victims?"
"No."
"Partners."
"He secretly filmed every meeting."
Sarah's pulse quickened.
"So if anyone betrayed him..."
Vanessa finished the sentence.
"...he had something to destroy them with."
That evening, Daniel entered Nathan's home office carrying a tablet.
"I've reviewed the security footage from outside the estate."
Nathan looked up.
"Anything useful?"
Daniel enlarged a frame from two nights earlier.
A delivery van had stopped outside the mansion for less than thirty seconds.
"No package was delivered."
"No visitor signed in."
Nathan frowned.
"Then why stop here?"
Daniel zoomed in farther.
A man wearing a baseball cap stepped out briefly.
Only long enough to attach something beneath the front gate keypad.
Nathan's expression hardened.
"What is that?"
Daniel's voice became tense.
"I think..."
Before he could finish, an officer rushed into the room.
"Sir!"
Daniel turned.
"What happened?"
"We just found a wireless camera hidden inside the gate."
Nathan felt his stomach drop.
"A camera?"
The officer nodded.
"It was transmitting live video."
Claire covered her mouth.
"They were watching us."
Sarah arrived minutes later and examined the tiny device.
"It's professionally installed."
She looked toward the dark road beyond the gates.
"They weren't planning to attack."
"They were studying."
Ethan stepped closer.
"For what?"
Sarah didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she removed the camera's memory card.
Her face turned pale.
"It's empty."
Nathan frowned.
"Why?"
"Because..."
She looked at the blinking transmitter.
"...it wasn't recording."
"It was streaming."
Every movement inside the Harper estate...
Every police arrival...
Every visitor...
Someone had been watching in real time.
Miles away, Lucas's disposable phone vibrated.
A single notification appeared.
Connection Lost.
He smiled faintly.
"They found the camera."
The hidden caller answered almost instantly.
"So they know we're watching."
Lucas looked out over the city lights.
"Yes."
The voice on the other end remained calm.
"Good."
Lucas frowned.
"Good?"
"We wanted them to find it."
A long silence followed.
Then the caller delivered an order that made Lucas's face drain of color.
May you like
"Now they're scared."
"It's time for phase two."
