Her fingers closed around the cold, solid metal of the second encrypted USB drive, tucked safely inside a hidden zippered lining that had survived the fall completely undamaged. While Richard had focused entirely on grabbing the paper binder from her hands, he had failed to realize that true accountants always make digital backups of important files. This tiny metal drive contained every single spreadsheet, bank routing number, and forged signature necessary to send both Richard and Victoria to prison for decades.
Elena wiped the blood from her nose with her left sleeve, leaving a bright red streak across her arm, but her eyes were full of sharp fire. She pushed herself all the way up into a kneeling position, taking a deep breath that hurt her bruised ribs but gave her strength. She lifted her face up toward the high balcony, locking her eyes directly onto Richard's smug face.
Elena: Really? You forgot about the backup drive!
Richard's smile vanished instantly as his face went completely pale under the bright afternoon sun. He froze in place, his hands gripping the stone railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white against the blue navy suit fabric. Beside him, Victoria stopped walking and spun around, her eyes widening in pure horror as she saw Elena kneeling on the stone floor holding up the shiny metal object.
Victoria: What is she holding, Richard? What is that in her hand?
Richard: That's impossible! She only had the binder!
Elena: I knew you were a criminal the moment you touched your father's accounts, Richard!
Elena stood all the way up on her feet, leaning slightly against the stone fountain to support her weak left leg, but standing tall and proud nonetheless. She held the silver USB drive high above her head, letting the bright daylight bounce off its polished metal surface so both of them could see it clearly. The American flag hanging on the wall behind her seemed to frame her bruised figure with symbolic strength.
Elena: You're both going to prison forever!
Her booming, authoritative voice rang out across the entire open courtyard, bouncing off the high stone walls like a thunderclap that shattered the silence of the estate. Richard stumbled back a step, panic replacing his previous arrogance as he realized the sheer scale of his mistake. The digital files on that drive were already synced to a secure cloud server that would automatically trigger a federal notification if she did not enter a safety code by three o'clock.
Victoria: Get down there and take it from her, Richard! Run!
Richard: It's too late... look at the gates!
The heavy iron gates at the end of the long stone driveway began to open automatically as three sleek black sedans pulled into the private courtyard with speed. The sound of tires crunching on gravel filled the air as federal law enforcement officers stepped out of the vehicles, their badges flashing brightly under the midday sun. Elena had set her location tracker before walking up the stairs, knowing that if anything happened to her, the authorities would arrive immediately.