Chapter 27 - The Parasitic Survival Of Preston Beaumont
Preston’s knees knocked together as he walked into the dark epicenter of cartel power. The Hollywood polish of his bespoke navy linen suits was completely gone. His handsome face was heavily bruised, still bearing the brutal damage from Marcus’s right hook in the ballroom, and a fresh, jagged red line across his neck showed how close he had come to dying in federal lockup. But the parasitic survival instinct of a man born into limitless privilege kept him standing. He knew the intelligence in his head was his only currency.
"You have exactly five minutes to prove you are worth more than the cost of a bullet," Director Vance stated, twirling a metal pen between his fingers. "Give me one reason I shouldn't hand you over to your mother's executioners right now."
Preston swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Because you don't understand Marcus Reed. He doesn't operate like a lone wolf," Preston stammered, his voice dripping with sycophantic desperation. "He has a fail-safe. A dead-man’s switch. If you kill him, or if that titanium drive isn't physically linked to the NCA master servers in Washington within seventy-two hours, the system automatically broadcasts the unencrypted data to every intelligence agency on the planet. You can't just assassinate him in the woods. You have to force him to walk the drive right into your headquarters."
The cartel bosses shifted uncomfortably in their leather chairs. Vance frowned, instantly recognizing the brilliant, unforgiving logic of Marcus’s tactical planning. "And how exactly do you know this?" Vance demanded.
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"Because I married his daughter!" Preston shouted, clawing for relevance. "I monitored her. I bugged her phone. Claire has deep psychological trauma regarding her mother's death. If you leak a fabricated intelligence report claiming the physical evidence of Evelyn Reed’s assassination is locked inside the NCA evidence vault, Marcus won't be able to stop her. Claire will walk straight into the snare, and Marcus will follow to protect her. You can trap them both inside your own fortress."
A heavy silence descended over the bunker. The sheer, shameless depravity of Preston weaponizing his wife's grief disgusted even the hardened killers in the room, but the strategy was undeniably flawless. Vance slowly nodded. The coward had just laid the blueprint for the perfect ambush.
