“I’ll testify,” Vance said, his teeth chattering.

“Just don’t let Arthur Mercer get to me.”

“He will kill me.”

“You’ll be safe in federal custody,” Marco said.

He looked at me, his eyes searching my face.

“Can you walk, Elena?”

“Yes,” I said, though my legs felt like lead.

The ache in my abdomen was subsiding, but the fear remained.

We walked out of the warehouse into the pouring rain.

The cold water stung my face, washing away the sweat.

Marco led us to his unmarked SUV parked in the dark alley.

He unlocked the doors, and we scrambled inside, escaping the downpour.

The heater roared to life, blowing warm air over my shivering skin.

Marco handed me the black USB drive.

“Keep this safe,” he said.

“It is the only copy of the decrypted ledger.”

I held the small piece of plastic tightly in my hand.

It felt incredibly light for something that held the power to destroy an empire.

Marco put the SUV in drive and pulled out into the empty Queens street.

He took out his phone and tapped the screen, placing it on the dashboard mount.