Chapter 22 - The Gathering StormWhile our lives in the farmhouse blossomed with peace and new love, federal prosecutors in Columbus were preparing for the final phase of the anti-trafficking sweep stemming from Karen’s dark-web network.
In June, Agent Vance called me into her field office for an urgent briefing.
"David, we’ve intercepted communications from some of Karen’s international associates who managed to evade the initial round of arrests," Agent Vance explained, sliding a file across her desk containing surveillance photographs of a bearded man with a European accent. "His name is Viktor Vance—no relation to me—and he was the primary financial backer of the Strict Discipline Hub server."
My jaw tightened. "Is he targeting my family?"
"We believe he’s attempting liquidating remaining offshore assets tied to Karen’s accounts, and intelligence suggests he holds a personal grudge against the law enforcement officer who blew his operation wide open," Agent Vance warned. "We’ve placed an unmarked federal surveillance detail around your farmhouse and Elena’s office just to be safe."
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I thanked Agent Vance and drove straight home, my protective instincts flaring into high alert.
I didn't panic, but I checked our security perimeter twice, upgraded the motion-sensor lighting around the perimeter of the property, and briefed Lucas and Chloe on what to do if they ever saw an unfamiliar face near the boundaries of our land.
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