“We are locked in the basement archive wing.”

The connection was fuzzy, filled with static.

“The doors are sealed,” my father continued.

“Someone is outside trying to force the service exit.”

I could hear a faint, urgent voice coming from the speaker.

It was Ethan Brooks.

“Daniel, I’m seeing massive data activity on the primary server,” Ethan said.

The reception was weak, but his voice was clear enough for me to hear.

“Someone is downloading the master client database right now,” Ethan said.

My father looked directly at Martin.

Martin was holding his phone in his left hand, his thumb hovering over the screen.

The screen of Martin’s phone showed a progress bar.

“What did you do?” my father asked.

“I did what I had to do,” Martin said.

“The physical blueprints in this bag are just the backup.”

“The real value is the digital transfer.”

“Once Vanguard has the client list, Whitaker Construction is finished,” Martin said.

He laughed, but it sounded dry and hollow.

“They will underbid you on every major project in the state,” he said.

“You think you’re so smart playing the poor handyman.”