Chapter 7: The Traitor Reveals Himself
Chapter 7: The Traitor Reveals Himself
The words echoed through the silent garage.
"He's still inside the parking garage."
Richard Carter lowered the encrypted phone without saying a word. Every member of his security detail instinctively spread out, covering the exits once again.
Officer Reynolds looked around nervously.
"You mean the thief never escaped?"
Richard shook his head.
"No."
"The person who stole the case escaped."
"The person who helped them... stayed behind."
Daniel frowned.
"Why would anyone stay?"
Richard's eyes swept across every face in the garage.
"To watch the aftermath."
"To confirm the mission succeeded."
"And to make sure I never discovered who betrayed me."
The commander immediately issued new orders.
"Nobody leaves."
"Collect every communication device."
"No exceptions."
One by one, guards gathered phones, radios, smart watches, and electronic badges from everyone present—including their own personnel.
Nobody objected.
Nobody except one man.
A senior communications specialist named Ethan Brooks hesitated for only a fraction of a second before handing over his encrypted tablet.
Richard noticed.
"So did the commander.
"Run a forensic scan," Richard ordered.
The technician connected Ethan's tablet to a portable analyzer.
For several moments, nothing appeared.
Then a hidden partition surfaced.
Encrypted files.
Deleted transmission logs.
Unauthorized network connections.
The technician looked up slowly.
"Sir..."
"This device contacted an external server exactly six minutes before Daniel was stopped."
Every security officer turned toward Ethan.
He forced a nervous smile.
"There has to be some mistake."
Richard stepped closer.
"You've worked for me for nine years."
"I trusted you with classified operations."
Ethan remained silent.
The analyzer continued processing.
A map appeared on the screen.
It displayed the route Daniel had driven that afternoon.
Every turn.
Every stoplight.
Every minute.
Someone had transmitted his exact location in real time.
Daniel stared in disbelief.
"They knew where I was because of him..."
Richard nodded grimly.
"They didn't find you."
"They were guided to you."
Officer Reynolds slowly lowered his weapon.
Everything was beginning to make sense.
The suspicious traffic delay.
The perfectly timed confrontation.
The disguised janitor.
The stolen case.
It had all depended on precise information from someone inside.
The commander moved to arrest Ethan.
"Hands behind your back."
Instead of resisting...
Ethan laughed.
A calm, confident laugh.
"You still don't understand."
Richard's expression hardened.
"Explain."
Ethan looked directly at him.
"You think I'm the traitor."
"I'm only the messenger."
Before anyone could react, Ethan bit down hard.
The commander lunged forward.
Too late.
A tiny capsule hidden inside one of Ethan's back teeth shattered.
Within seconds his breathing became shallow.
Foam appeared at the corner of his mouth.
A medical officer rushed forward.
"Poison!"
They laid him on the concrete floor and began emergency treatment.
His pulse weakened rapidly.
Richard knelt beside him.
"Ethan."
"Who hired you?"
For a brief moment, Ethan opened his eyes.
With his final strength, he whispered three words.
"Check... your... board..."
His heartbeat stopped.
Silence consumed the garage.
The medical officer slowly looked up.
"He's gone."
Daniel couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.
"He killed himself..."
Richard stood without speaking.
His face revealed no anger.
Only disappointment.
The technician suddenly interrupted.
"Sir."
"We've decrypted one final file from Ethan's tablet."
"What is it?"
"A scheduled transfer."
"To whom?"
The technician enlarged the screen.
Every security officer leaned closer.
The recipient's name appeared in bold letters.
Not a criminal.
Not a foreign government.
Not Shadow Division.
It was someone Richard had known for over twenty years.
Someone who sat beside him during board meetings.
Someone who had helped build Carter Global from the beginning.
Richard whispered the name almost in disbelief.
"Jonathan Hale..."
The commander stared at him.
"Your business partner?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"My oldest friend."
Then another encrypted message arrived.
This one contained only a single sentence.
If you want the truth, come alone. Midnight. Pier 19.
Richard read it twice.
Then slipped the phone into his pocket.
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
"You're not going alone."
Richard gave his son a faint smile.
"I wasn't planning to."
But deep inside, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
The conspiracy had never begun in the parking garage.
It had begun inside his own company years ago.
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And before sunrise...
Someone would have to answer for it.
