Chapter 8 - The Underworld Syndicate
The hit squad had been sent by a high-ranking Russian cartel leader known as "The Broker," Victor Hartman’s primary international partner in arms trafficking. The Broker was the one supplying the offshore muscle and laundering the Hartman family’s dirty money through European real estate.
If I wanted total freedom, I couldn't just lock up Victor and Gregory; I had to cut off the head of the entire dragon.
Using information extracted from the captured mercenaries' encrypted phones, Marcus and I tracked The Broker to a private, highly guarded casino club operating beneath an abandoned textile warehouse in Atlanta.
"This is off-grid, Ashlynn," Marcus warned as we parked our SUV two blocks away from the warehouse. "No FBI backup, no federal warrants. If you go in there, you're completely on your own."
"I was on my own the second Gregory locked that cabin door," I said, checking my weapon and strapping a combat knife to my thigh under a sleek black leather jumpsuit. "It’s time to close the book on these men."
Disguised as a high-rolling international gambler with Marcus acting as my private security detail, we breached the outer security of the subterranean casino. The room was dripping in illegal luxury—roulette tables, crystal chandeliers, smoke-filled air, and men worth billions who believed they were above the law.
At the center VIP table sat The Broker—a cold-eyed man covered in tactical tattoos, surrounded by four armed bodyguards.
I walked straight up to his table, pulling out a chair, and sat down without an invitation.
"You have terrible taste in hitmen," I said, placing an encrypted flash drive onto the green felt of the poker table.
The Broker’s eyes narrowed. His guards immediately reached inside their jackets.
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"Who the hell are you?" The Broker growled in a thick accent.
"I'm Ashlynn Vance," I smiled. "The woman who destroyed Victor Hartman's company. And on that drive is every bank account, transfer route, and illegal shipment your cartel has conducted with him for the last ten years."
