Chapter 18 - The Leverage
Victor Vane’s icy composure cracked for the first time. "Stop!" he commanded his men, raising his hand. "Do not fire!"
That drive contained the master decryption key. Without it, the Chimera files stolen from St. Jude were completely useless digital gibberish. Fifteen years of research and billions of dollars in black-market funding depended on that tiny metallic cylinder in a seven-year-old girl's hand.
Grant slowly shifted his stance, positioning himself between the ridge shooters and his daughter. "You hear that, Victor?" Grant called out. "You shoot us, the key goes into the rushing river. It gets swept under the ice, lost forever."
Victor’s jaw tightened. "What do you want, Grant?"
"Safe passage for my family," Grant demanded. "A full surrender of all Vane Group assets, and you step down into federal custody."
Victor laughed—a hollow, mocking sound. "You think you're in a position to negotiate, Callahan? You're trapped in a ditch in the middle of the Swiss Alps!"
"He's not alone, Victor," Emma’s voice called out.
Suddenly, the roaring thunder of heavy twin-rotor engines echoed over the mountain ridge.
Two massive white-and-blue helicopters bearing the insignia of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service and the United States Department of Justice crested the surrounding peaks, hovering low over the highway.
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Sniper beams from federal tactical units danced across Victor Vane’s body and the bodies of his mercenaries.
Through the loudspeakers of the lead federal chopper, a loud command echoed: "Victor Vane! This is the Federal Police! Drop your weapons and put your hands on your head! Your facility has been seized!"
