The subterranean command center beneath the Apex estate was bathed in the stark, cold blue glow of dozens of massive encrypted monitors. It was three in the morning, but sleep was a luxury the Thorne Syndicate could no longer afford. The federal noose was tightening. Agent Vance had spent the last forty-eight hours aggressively freezing our secondary shell corporations and launching highly publicized raids on our empty shipping warehouses.
Valerius stood at the head of the sleek glass table, leaning heavily on his left arm to alleviate the pressure on his healing ribs. He looked like a dark, vengeful phantom in the dim light. I stood directly beside him, my eyes scanning the endless streams of complex data Dominic was projecting onto the primary screen.
"He is incredibly careful, Boss,"
