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“We need to document everything.”She pulled out her phone.“Photograph every page, download whatever’s on that server.”
I nodded, already moving to the computer system.“I’ll start the download.You photograph the physical evidence.”
We worked quickly and methodically, knowing time ran against us.Nova snapped photos with professional precision, checking each image for clarity before moving to the next document.I hooked Wire’s specialized drive to the server and initiated a mass download of whatever digital evidence it held.
Halfway through our task, Tank’s voice came low and urgent from the doorway.“Movement outside.Security patrol.”
I tensed, hand moving automatically to my weapon.“How many?”
“Two vehicles.Armed.”Tank’s voice was tight with controlled tension.“They’re not supposed to be here.”
Nova looked up from the documents.“We need more time.Ten minutes, maybe fifteen to finish.”
Tank grunted.“I’ll buy you what I can.”
He disappeared from the doorway, leaving one Prospect to guard our position while the other followed Tank.I returned to the download, watching the progress bar creep across the screen with agonizing slowness.
Nova continued photographing documents, her movements growing more urgent.“Doc, look at this.”
I joined her at the table, looking down at what appeared to be a DVD in a plain sleeve.The handwritten label read simply: “Treemont Cleanup.”
“There’s a player in the computer.Thankfully, it’s an older system.”I moved to insert the disc.
The screen flickered, then showed what appeared to be Judge Harmon’s chambers.The timestamp in the corner showed a date three days after Nova’s parents’ deaths.Harmon sat behind his desk, Wallace standing beside him.The audio was poor but clear enough to hear every damning word.
“The Treemont situation is contained,” Wallace was saying, his face relaxed in a way that made my blood run cold.“Accident report is finalized.No further investigation.”
Harmon nodded, looking relieved.“And the evidence she claimed to have?”
“Never found in the vehicle.We confiscated what we could from their home.If anything else exists, it died with her.”
The two men continued discussing the “cleanup,” mentioning Mary-Jane’s source in the department who’d gone suddenly quiet, the reporter’s notes that had disappeared, the story that would never see publication.They spoke about Nova’s parents’ deaths with the casual indifference of men discussing a minor inconvenience successfully resolved.
Nova’s face had gone completely white, her body rigid as she watched her parents’ murderers congratulate themselves.I reached for her hand, finding it ice-cold and trembling slightly.But her eyes remained dry, fixed on the screen with a focus so intense it seemed to physically radiate from her.
“We’ve got them,” she whispered.“We actually have them.”
The sound of gunfire erupted from outside, sudden and jarring.The Prospect at the door tensed, hand going to his earpiece.
“Company’s coming,” Tank’s voice crackled through our comms.“Get what you need and get out.Now.”
I ejected the DVD, handing it to Nova who secured it in an evidence bag with shaking hands.The download completed with a soft chime, and I yanked the drive free, shoving it into my pocket.
“We need to move.”I gathered the most crucial physical evidence into a waterproof bag.
Nova nodded, her gaze meeting mine with a look of fierce vindication.In that moment, surrounded by evidence of corruption and the sounds of approaching danger, we shared something -- a promise, an understanding deeper than words could express.We’d found what we came for.Justice for her parents was finally within reach.
More gunshots echoed through the warehouse, closer now.I took Nova’s arm, guiding her toward the door, my body automatically positioning itself between her and potential danger.The Prospect led the way, weapon drawn as we prepared to fight our way out if necessary.
“Stay behind me,” I ordered as we moved back into the maze of shipping containers.“Whatever happens, this evidence has to make it out.”
Nova clutched the waterproof bag to her chest, her mother’s vindication and her own salvation contained in those pages and files.“It will.We’ve come too far to fail now.”
As we moved through the shadows toward the exit, the sound of combat growing louder with each step, I realized how true that was.We had come too far -- not just in this investigation, but in our journey together.Whatever waited for us outside, whatever battles still lay ahead, we would face them side by side.
For Daniel and Mary-Jane.For the victims of the trafficking ring.For Nova.
And maybe, just a little, for ourselves.
