Chapter 5: The Ledger Leverage

I closed the cipher book, the implications of my discovery hitting me like a physical blow. Marcus wasn’t just a con artist; he was a viper, turning on everyone, even his protectors.

Elena watched my face, her own etched with apprehension. “What did you find?”

“Marcus didn’t just steal Chloe’s money,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “He stole from Barrett Soria too. $150,000.”

Her eyes widened, a gasp catching in her throat. “Soria? But he’s… he’s terrifying. He runs this whole district.”

“Precisely,” I affirmed. “And Marcus is hiding behind Soria’s men, who have no idea he’s been robbing them blind.”

I started tearing pages from my notebook. I would create an audit sheet, irrefutable proof. Dates, amounts, coded transfers. Everything.

This wasn’t about calling the police anymore. This was about turning the hunters against their prey.

I laid out the first page of my crude audit for Elena to see. “This shows Soria’s own collections, short by $150,000. And this,” I pointed to another set of entries, “this shows where Marcus diverted that money.”

Elena stared at the numbers, her fear slowly replaced by a grim satisfaction. “He deserves what’s coming to him.”

“He does,” I agreed. “And you will be the one to help deliver it.”

My mind raced, mapping out the next steps. I needed to get this information to Soria, but not directly. Not yet.

I glanced out the diner window. The first hint of dawn was bleeding into the sky, painting the eastern horizon in pale grays and blues. The high-rise still stood, dark and silent.

My sedan was parked innocently enough on the street, half-covered by the shadow of a larger truck. It had been there for hours.

Then I saw it. A glint of light from one of the upper-floor windows of the high-rise. A figure.

Marcus.

He was looking directly at my car. Not a casual glance, but a focused stare. He must have recognized the model, or perhaps just the lingering presence.

My stomach dropped. He knew I was here.

My next move had to be fast. Barrett Soria didn’t know he’d been robbed yet, but Marcus knew I was circling.

The game had just changed. I looked at Elena.

“We need to move,” I said, pushing the cipher book and my notes into a discreet folder. “Now.”