Victor stumbled out of Grayson's office, his hands clammy and his breath ragged. The weight of his potential misstep hung heavy, each step a potential death sentence. The rules had shifted since he last played this dangerous game, and the stakes were higher than ever.
With an enigmatic look, Grayson turned to face Clara and Sarah. "I want to know everything that Victor and Richards do together. Keep tabs on his whereabouts, bug his phone, and tell me if he sneezes in the wrong place.
Clara nodded while furiously typing on her tablet. "We'll always be watching him."
Sarah grinned. If he tries to outsmart us, what then?
With a threatening sparkle in his eye, Grayson leaned against his desk. "We then reminded him of the person he was interacting with."
At that moment, a fresh warning beeped on Clara's tablet. She scowled as she looked at the screen. "Sir, there's another problem."
Grayson's brow raised. "Continue."
Clara paused, then looked him in the eye. Another message was captured by us. But Victor wasn't the cause of this one. For him to see the decoded message, she flipped the screen around.
"Going according to plan. Monarch is going to fall. This time, permanently."
A cold silence filled the room. Grayson's jaw clenched, his mind racing. "Who sent this?"
"That's the issue," Clara whispered. "It is impossible to trace the signal." They are masters, whatever they are.
A solemn face took the place of Sarah's grin. "Is this no longer just about Richards?"
Grayson breathed slowly. "No. This is bigger." He turned toward the window, looking out at the metropolitan skyline. "The strings are being pulled by someone else."
A knock on the door shocked all of them. A grim-faced security guard intervened, "saying, You have to see something, sir."
Clara and Sarah followed Grayson as he quietly followed the guard down the hallway. They were led to the surveillance room, where the security team had rewound the office parking lot footage.
"This was taken thirty minutes ago," the guard said, hitting the play.
The grainy video showed Victor walking to his car. The person leaning against a black SUV with their face hidden beneath the hood was the focal point of attention. After stopping in front of them, Victor gave them a flash drive. The figure accepted it, nodded curtly, and vanished into the car.
Sarah leaned closer. "Is it possible to improve the image?"
"Tried already," the guard said. "They know exactly how to stay out of sight, whoever they are."
Grayson folded his arms. "Then we make them come to us."
Sarah grinned. "I like where this is going."
Grayson turned to Clara. "Leak false information through Victor. Something enticing. Something that will make them move."
Clara nodded. "And when they do?"
A wicked smirk played across Grayson's lips. "We'll be waiting."
Meanwhile, Victor grasped the driving wheel as he drove away from Monarch Enterprises, his mind running. The flash drive in his pocket seemed like a ticking time bomb. He had given up one, but he still had another stowed somewhere. A backup plan. He wanted to find out who was pulling the strings—and fast.
His phone buzzed. An unknown number.
With shaky hands, he answered, "Hello?"
A distorted voice replied. "You dropped it. Excellent. Victor, you're not finished yet.
Victor's throat became parched. "Who is this?"
A cool laugh. A person who has been watching. If you wish to live, pay close attention to the next set of instructions.
Victor stiffened his hold on the phone and swallowed hard. "What if I say no?"
Quiet. Then, one terrifying line.
"Then we will move on to you."
The queue died.
As Victor grabbed the wheel, his knuckles went white. He was more deeply involved than he had ever thought. And now there was no escape.
Victor gripped the wheel tighter, his pulse pounding in his ears. His breath came in short spurts, and his hands were slippery with sweat. That person at the other end of the call wasn't playing games. He was only a pawn on someone else's board, even if he had been playing the game thinking he knew the risks.
His thoughts were racing. He needed a strategy. Quick.
He studied the road behind him in the rear view mirror. Even though there were no apparent tails, he was still being watched. Pressing down on the gas, he forced himself to control his breathing. He needed to find a safe area first, and then he would determine his next line of action.
Grayson returned to Monarch Enterprises and watched Clara and Sarah's relentless efforts to lay the trap. Victor had already planted the fake information, and now they had to wait.
"Have we heard any conversation?" Grayson asked in a composed yet tense tone.
Clara's face flickered with annoyance as she shook her head. "Not yet. They are either waiting to confirm the report or being very cautious.
Sarah leaned back in her chair with her arms folded. "I'll give them credit for being clever. However, they would finally fall for the ruse.
It was as if Clara had pinged her tablet at the exact moment. Her gaze darkened as she instantly swiped across the screen. "Sir, there is movement."
Grayson took a step forward. "Show me."
When Clara turned on the screen, a live feed from a street camera close to one of Monarch's off-site data storage facilities was visible. Just now, a black SUV that looked exactly like the one in the parking lot video pulled up to a side door. Two figures emerged, both hooded and dressed in dark apparel.
Sarah stood up. "They are taking action."
Grayson tightened his jaw. "Security alert. I want every exit watched. We intercept before they can gain anything if that is what they are here for.
Victor, in the meantime, was nervous as he pulled into a poorly lit parking garage. He parked away from the security cameras in the farthest corner. He needed to make one more choice before deciding on his next course of action.
He took out his second phone, an undetectable burner. He dialed the only number that was pre programmed.
Just one ring. Then, a voice, calm and collected. "I was wondering when you'd call."