Chapter 8 - The Shadow Partner
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While Ethan languished in his cell, Evelyn Cross turned her attention to the civilian side of the smuggling operation.
The shipping manifests seized from the warehouse pointed directly to a shipping magnate named Victor Vance—the attorney's distant cousin.
Victor operated a fleet of commercial cargo tugs out of the Port of Wilmington.
For eighteen months, Victor had been smuggling Ethan’s crates aboard international container ships bound for foreign ports.
Evelyn coordinated directly with the United States Coast Guard and federal tactical units.
At midnight, under the cover of a dense coastal fog, tactical teams stormed the private wharf in Wilmington.
Victor Vance was caught in his harbor office, busy shredding customs declarations and overseas bills of lading.
Federal agents tackled him to the floor before he could hit the emergency purge button on his main servers.
Evelyn walked through the office door, stepping over the scattered paper shreds.
She held up a copy of the bank transfers recovered from Ethan’s laptop.
“Mr. Vance,” Evelyn said smoothly as agents hauled the struggling businessman to his feet.
“Staff Sergeant Caldwell has been speaking with our prosecutors for the past three hours.”
“He has provided your name, your ship registrations, and your offshore escrow accounts.”
Victor’s face twisted in bitter shock.
“That idiot swore his military rank would keep the feds away,” Victor spat, venom in his voice.
“His rank couldn't even protect him from his own stupidity,” Evelyn countered coolly.
“You have five minutes to decide whether you want to cooperate or face thirty years in federal prison alongside him.”
Victor looked at the armed agents, looked at the undeniable documents in Evelyn’s hands, and dropped his head in surrender.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Victor muttered.
May you like
“Just keep me out of maximum security.”
Another pillar of the criminal empire had collapsed in a matter of hours.
