He stopped answering calls.
He complained to neighbors.
He told Evelyn he was considering moving.
He even listed the house privately.
Victor took the bait.
The offer arrived the next morning.
Five million dollars.
Marcus stared at the number.
Cross stared too.
"That's insane."
"Yes."
"He's desperate."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he knows we're close."
The meeting was scheduled for Friday.
This time, Victor wanted to meet at an abandoned warehouse.
Marcus agreed.
Federal agents surrounded the area.
He entered alone.
Victor was waiting with Nolan Pike.
Richard Hale was there too.
Marcus immediately knew something had changed.
Victor wasn't trying to buy the house anymore.
He was trying to measure how much Marcus knew.
"You came."
Marcus looked around.
"Five million."
Victor smiled.
"You deserve it."
"I deserve my property."
"You're stubborn."
"So I've been told."
Victor approached.
"Let's make this simple."
"Please."
"You sign."
Marcus stared.
"And?"
"You receive the money."
"And then?"
"You leave."
Marcus laughed.
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
"You really don't understand."
Victor's smile disappeared.
"What?"
"I don't want anywhere."
Victor stared.
"I want home."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"You think this is about a house?"
Marcus looked directly at him.
"No."
Silence.
"You know about the corridor."
Victor didn't answer.
"You know about the government project."
Nothing.
"You know about the properties."
Victor's expression hardened.
"You don't know anything."
Marcus smiled.
"Then why are you scared?"
Victor stepped closer.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Marcus answered:
"I know exactly who I'm dealing with."
Victor looked toward Nolan.
Nolan's face was pale.
Marcus noticed.
"You should ask your brother what he told investigators."
Victor turned.
"What?"
Nolan froze.
Marcus smiled.
"Nothing."
Victor looked at him.
Then realized.
The conversation had been recorded.
Victor turned toward the warehouse door.
It opened.
Federal agents entered.
"Victor Lang, step away from the table."
Victor froze.
Nolan immediately raised his hands.
Richard Hale began sweating.
Marcus stepped back.
Victor stared at him.
"You."
Marcus shrugged.
"You talked too much."
Victor laughed bitterly.
"You think this is over?"
"No."
Marcus shook his head.
"I think it's finally starting."
Victor was arrested.
But the operation was larger than expected.
Investigators found encrypted servers.
Bank accounts.
Private security contracts.
Government contacts.
A list of properties.
And something else.
A map showing the underground corridor.
The corridor wasn't merely old military infrastructure.
It connected to a network of emergency communication nodes.
If activated, it could provide secure communication during a national emergency.
Victor hadn't simply wanted the land.
He wanted control over the access points.
That changed everything.
The investigation became a national security case.
Marcus was interviewed repeatedly.
He answered every question.
Then, one evening, something unexpected happened.
His home alarm sounded.
12:17 a.m.
Marcus woke instantly.
He checked the camera.
A figure was in the backyard.
Marcus reached for his phone.
The person moved toward the fence.
Then stopped.
A second figure appeared.
Marcus watched.
They opened a utility panel.
One carried a metal case.
Marcus called Cross.
No answer.
He called Whitmore.
No answer.
He watched.
Then he recognized one of the men.
Nolan Pike.
Marcus frowned.
Nolan had been arrested.
How was he outside?
The answer came seconds later.
The camera angle changed.
Marcus realized.
It wasn't Nolan.
It was his brother's associate.
Someone else.
The man turned toward the camera.
Then lifted his hand.
A small object flashed.
The camera went black.
Marcus's heart accelerated.
He moved to another camera.
Black.
Third.
Black.
Fourth.
Black.
Someone was disabling the system.
Marcus grabbed his jacket.
He didn't leave the house.
He locked every door.
Then called emergency services.
Five minutes later, headlights appeared.
Police.
Federal agents.
The intruders escaped.
But they left something behind.
A metal case.
Inside were files.
Property records.
Photos.
And a single sheet of paper.
Marcus picked it up.
It contained a list of names.
At the bottom was one name he didn't recognize.
GENERAL ELIJAH CROSS.
Marcus's blood ran cold.
Cross arrived twenty minutes later.
Marcus handed him the paper.
Cross stared at it.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because whoever wrote this knows about an investigation that isn't public."
Marcus looked at him.
"Then there's a leak."
Cross nodded.
"Yes."
"And it's inside the government."
Cross didn't answer.
That silence told Marcus everything.
The investigation changed immediately.
Cross was removed from several meetings.
Marcus was assigned federal protection.
Chief Whitmore was ordered not to discuss the case outside a restricted group.
The names of the investigators were sealed.
Everyone became suspicious of everyone else.
Marcus hated it.
He had lived in environments where trust mattered.
Now trust had become a liability.
Cross came to Marcus's house one evening.
He looked exhausted.
Marcus opened the door.
"You look terrible."
Cross smiled.
"Good to see you too."
"Come in."
Cross entered.
Marcus poured coffee.
"How bad?"
"We found the leak."
Marcus looked up.
"Who?"
Cross shook his head.
"Not yet."
Marcus frowned.
"You said you found it."
"We found the source of the leak."
"Who?"
"A contractor."
"Which one?"
Cross hesitated.
"Northstar Systems."
Marcus stared.
"Victor's company?"
"Not directly."
"Indirectly?"
"Yes."
Marcus sat.
"So Victor had access to government information."
"Through contractors."
"How far?"
"Far enough."
Marcus shook his head.
"What does he actually want?"
Cross placed a folder on the table.
Inside was a technical diagram.
The corridor.
The communications network.
Several access points.
One was beneath Cedar Lane.
Marcus pointed.
"Mine?"
"Yes."
Marcus stared.
"So the house isn't just above valuable land."
"No."
"It's above an access point."
"Correct."
Marcus leaned back.