Chapter 9: The Ghost Network
The helicopter landed on the roof of a brutalist, windowless concrete building on the industrial outskirts of the city. To a passerby, it looked like an abandoned water treatment facility. Inside, it was a state-of-the-art subterranean command center.
Rows of servers hummed in the climate-controlled air. A half-dozen analysts sat at workstations, typing furiously in the low, blue-tinted light.
"Welcome to the Ghost Network," Elias said, guiding Clara into a quiet glass-walled office overlooking the floor. "This is where we dismantle people like Sullivan."
He gestured for her to sit on a leather sofa, while he and Marcus leaned over a massive digital map table.
"Vanguard Maritime," Elias barked to the floor below. "I want all financial routing, port manifests, and property deeds linked to that shell corporation in the last forty-eight hours."
Data began to cascade across the screens. Within minutes, a young analyst raised a hand. "Sir, Vanguard transferred ownership of a warehouse in the Navy Yard three days ago. It’s registered under a holding company, but the signature matches one of Sullivan's known aliases."
"That’s the auction site," Marcus said, pointing at the map. "They didn't use the estate; that was just the holding pen. The actual auction is happening at the docks tonight."
May you like
Clara gripped the edge of the sofa, her knuckles turning white. "There were other girls in that cellar. Five of them. If the auction is tonight, they are going to sell them."
Elias looked at Clara, his eyes registering her terror and her empathy. "Not on my watch," he said quietly.
