Ramos #3
I tossed my phone in frustration. This wasn't supposed to go like this.
Vin wasn't supposed to be able to track the hacking back to anyone.
If his hacker is good enough to beat us, then we need to make sure we kill the hacker as well.
I storm out of the guest room I'm staying in and head to where I know I'll find my brother.
Entering the war room without knocking, all heads turned towards me.
“What is it, Ramos? Any update from your hacker?”
“Yeah, I have an update and we have a problem.”
“What happened now?”
“They just grabbed Gavin.”
“Who? Vin? Grabbed Gavin? When? How do you know?”
“He called me about 10 minutes ago from a burner phone. He mentioned that he felt like he was being followed but he had information for me.” I force myself to sit down in a near by chair to stop myself from pacing.
My leg bouncing as a way to expel pent up energy.
That gained the bosses attention though.
“What did Gavin say after he mentioned being followed? How do you know it was Vin that took him?”
It wasn’t until now that i realize I never updated them about what happened yesterday.
This conversation could go very bad. “As far as knowing it was Vin, Gavin told me that someone fitting his description stopped his girl on the sidewalk and left after a cryptic threat. He is the one who activated the code at the safe house earlier. He left to try and keep Atlas and Maizyn safe while he finished the job.” I pause to take in their reaction and give them time to respond.
“If he was at the safe house how did he get captured?”
“I didn’t exactly have time to ask him why he left the house. I’m assuming it was to buy the burner phone so he could call me.”
“Okay, well what information did he have?”
“He asked what you plan to do with the intel and I told him that you were going to take care of the problem. He said he found a large payment from WD Navicorp LLC. Does that name mean anything to you?”
“That's the exact account I expect the money to come from. He found the proof we needed to move in. What happened next?” It’s my brother that response to that information as he braces one hand on the table in front of him while looking down at what seems to be a map of the city.
“His car was hit from behind; he said that two armed men were forcing him from the car. He is only in this mess because I asked for his help. We have to do something. You know I wouldn't normally ask for anything.”
“Ramos, you don't have to plead with me.
We get that he's like family. We already plan to act on the matter. Either way, now that we have the information, his being captured only speeds up our timeline; there are only a few places in the area Vin would have brought him. Do you know where he was taken from? It might help narrow it down for us.”
“Yeah, he was at Concourse and 5th.”
“Can you log in to this system on the back desk? Pull up any city cameras around the intersection. I want as many angles as you can get.”
“Yeah, I can pull it up; give me about five minutes.”
The computer is already powered on and ready to go.
I slide into the desk chair, getting to work immediately.
My fingers are flying across the keyboard.
I start with the local traffic cameras first, easily finding the traffic camera stationed at the bank across the street.
I hack into a few other cameras in the area, giving me coverage of the entire area and the moment they hit Gavin’s car.
Hearing it happen was one thing, adding the sound replaying in my head to the video makes the guilt even heavier in my chest. I got him kidnapped when I didn’t even want to be a part of this lifestyle.
I wipe invisible sweat from my forehead as I call to my brother.
“I have the camera feed of the wreck and him being removed from the car.”
My brother strolls over to me, placing the map down in front of me.
“The red circles are his known compounds and any safe houses we were able to track down. Can you follow the getaway car through the camera feed to see what direction they go in? If we are able to get a general area, then we can narrow down his location. We will only get one chance at this, so we have to get it right.”
I continue working without responding. Flipping through several different traffic cameras, I comb through different angles and side streets until I finally find what I am looking for.
“We got him. The car was last seen closest to the warehouse on Walnut Ave.” A hint of pride swelling in my chest.
“Good Job, I didn’t think you would find it that quickly. Do you have any preference on how we handle this, Ramos?“
“I have to make a call. I respect your operation. I don't wanna go above you on this, but there are two people who at least deserve to know what's going on. I'm positive Atlas will want to help, but overall it's your mission.”
“I can respect that. I plan to have a small team breach the warehouse with a better chance of getting in and out without being detected that way. I will have backup on standby in case things go south. Are you staying back or going in?
“I'm going in; he is there because of me. Plus, it will be easier to run technical interference from inside the building.”
“Okay. Handle your business, and we will get the team ready. We move tonight.”