Chapter 2 - The Montgomery Empire

The clock was ticking down to Friday, the day Vance planned to put my daughters on a private jet and exile them from the country forever.

By Thursday night, I was sitting in the dimly lit motel room, staring at a laptop screen filled with downloaded documents from Camila’s daring heist. The USB drive had successfully bypassed Arthur’s rudimentary home network security.

What I found was staggering.

Arthur Montgomery wasn't just a ruthless businessman; he was running a massive real estate fraud scheme, bribing city zoning officials to condemn properties in low-income neighborhoods so he could buy them for pennies on the dollar. Furthermore, Vance Sterling’s political campaign was entirely funded through illegal offshore shell companies managed by Arthur.

It was enough evidence to put both men in federal prison for decades.

But I needed an ally. I couldn't just walk into a police station; Arthur owned half the local precinct. I needed someone beyond his reach.

I found a contact through an old friend—a Special Agent named Torres at the FBI's white-collar crime division in Seattle. I sent her an encrypted file containing just enough of the ledgers to prove the corruption, along with a time and a place to meet.

At 2:00 AM on Friday, Agent Torres met me in the back of a 24-hour diner. She reviewed the full files on my laptop, her eyes widening with every click.

"This is the holy grail," Torres whispered, looking at me with newfound respect. "We've been trying to nail Montgomery for five years, but his paper trail was always spotless. How did you get this?"

"An inside source," I said. "But here’s the deal. I give you the physical hard drive, the passwords, and the decryption keys. In exchange, I need you and your team at Boeing Field at exactly 4:00 PM today. That’s when Arthur and Vance are putting three little girls on a private jet against their mother's will. I need you to stop that plane."

Torres nodded, her expression hardening into a look of absolute determination. "You have my word, Liam. We’ll be there."

Friday afternoon arrived with a suffocating tension. The skies over Seattle were dark with rolling thunderheads, mirroring the storm about to break on the tarmac.

I parked my car a mile away from the private aviation terminal at Boeing Field. I had a pair of binoculars and my heart in my throat. At 3:45 PM, a convoy of black SUVs pulled onto the tarmac, stopping next to a sleek Gulfstream jet with its engines already whining.

I watched through the lenses as Arthur Montgomery stepped out of the lead vehicle. He was an imposing man, his silver hair perfectly coiffed, his face set in a permanent scowl. Next came Vance, looking at his watch irritably.

Then, the doors of the third SUV opened.

Camila stepped out. She looked terrified, clutching a small overnight bag. Behind her, heavily armed security guards essentially dragged Regina, Lucy, and Valerie out of the car. The girls were crying, clutching each other's hands, terrified of the loud engines and the aggressive men surrounding them.

"Mommy!" Valerie screamed as a guard tried to pull her toward the stairs of the jet.

Camila lunged forward, fighting against her father’s grip. "Let them go! Please, Dad, you can't do this!"