Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43 — The Traitor’s Price
Valeria walked out of the prison facility just as the first flurries of winter snow began to dust the Chicago pavement. Victor was waiting by the idling sedan, a sleek tablet resting in his hand.
"We have an immediate operational breach," Victor said, his voice dropping into a tense, hushed tone. "Ernesto Salgado just signed a non-prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice an hour ago. He surrendered half of the Iron Ledger’s domestic encryption keys in exchange for full immunity and a federal witness-protection placement."
"My father sacrificed my autonomy to save his own skin," Valeria said, her voice entirely devoid of surprise. Betrayal had become the native language of her bloodline.
"It gets worse," Victor added, scrolling through a secure text feed. "The international warrant for Ofelia Moreno has been quietly recalled. High-level intervention from Washington. They need Ofelia alive to seize the Zurich funds before you can legally claim them. A private black-ops asset-recovery team is en route to Switzerland right now. If you aren't physically inside Vontobel Bank by 9:00 AM tomorrow, the US government will execute a sovereign emergency freeze on the entire asset pool."
May you like
Valeria looked down at the heavy steel watch on her wrist. Exactly twelve hours remained.
"Victor," she said, her eyes flashing with a sudden, predatory coldness. "Fuel the plane. We fly directly into Zurich. If they want an international asset war, I am going to give them a financial apocalypse."
