“She’s right,” Sarah said. “We cannot accept this under the table. It ruins the chain of custody.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Sloane cried, her voice cracking. “He’s going to destroy me anyway when he finds out I even talked to you.”

“Keep the drive,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “Keep it in a safe place. Tomorrow morning, we are going to file an emergency motion in court.”

“A subpoena?” Sloane asked, her breath catching.

“Yes,” Sarah said. “A formal court subpoena for your personal electronic devices and any company backups in your possession. You will deliver that drive under oath, in front of the judge.”

“That way, it’s legal,” I added. “And Gavin can’t claim we stole it. It will be part of the official record.”

Sloane stared at the small piece of black plastic in her hand.

“He’ll know I gave it up,” she whispered.

“He’ll know you had no choice under a judge’s order,” Sarah told her. “It’s your only way out without a criminal record.”

Sloane slowly lowered her hand and slipped the USB drive back into her designer handbag.