Chapter 5 - The Sting Operation
Operation Glasshouse was launched forty-eight hours later. The plan was meticulously constructed by FBI Counterintelligence. Using Natalie’s seized phone, Agent Reed’s team sent an encrypted message to Julian Croft’s middleman, confirming that the stolen files were ready for physical transfer at a secluded industrial pier along the riverbank.
Because Croft’s agents were familiar with Natalie’s vehicle and physical stature, Agent Reed recruited an undercover operative who closely matched Natalie’s description. Ethan volunteered to provide authentic dummy encrypted drives containing watermarked fake schematics that would allow federal monitors to trace the buyer's server location the moment they attempted to open the files.
I insisted on staying at the tactical command center set up inside a surveillance van parked three blocks from the pier. Sitting beside Agent Reed, watching multiple night-vision camera feeds on sleek monitors, my heart thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird.
“Target vehicle approaching,” a tactical officer announced over the radio headset. “Black sedan entering Pier 42.”
On the screen, a sleek sedan pulled up into the shadowy expanse of the abandoned shipping warehouse. Rain dripped from the metal rafters above. Two men in dark coats stepped out of the sedan. One of them was high-ranking syndicate lieutenant Anton Varga—a notorious operative known for ruthlessness.
The undercover agent stepped out of Natalie’s dark SUV, holding a silver metallic brief container. “I have the data,” she said, her voice piped directly into our command van.
Varga smiled grimly, reaching into his coat. “You caused a lot of noise in the suburbs, girl. The boss isn't pleased that the police got involved.”
“The police suspect nothing,” the operative replied coolly, following the script. “It was logged as an accidental gas leak. Here is the drive. Where is the money?”
Varga held out a small briefcase. But just as the exchange was about to happen, Varga’s phone vibrated violently. He glanced down at the screen. His expression instantly transformed into rage.
“Trap! It’s a setup!” Varga screamed, pulling a suppressed firearm from inside his coat.
“GO! GO! GO!” Agent Reed shouted into her microphone.
Flashbang grenades erupted inside the warehouse with blinding light and deafening booms. Tactical SWAT teams flooded the building from hidden positions, shouting commands. Gunfire echoed through the surveillance audio. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying for everyone's safety.
Within minutes, the radio crackled. “Target one neutralized, target two in custody! We have Varga alive!”
A wave of applause erupted in the surveillance van, but Agent Reed did not celebrate. She pointed to Varga’s phone on the monitor zoom. “Who sent him that text message five seconds before the bust?”
She zoomed in on the intercepted message screen. It read: ABORT. THE WOMAN IS AN AGENT. SISTER TALKED.
May you like
I stared at the screen in horror. The message came from an internal phone number registered inside Apex Dynamics’ corporate headquarters.
The conspiracy wasn't just an outside attack by Julian Croft. There was a high-level mole inside Ethan’s own company—someone who had coordinated with Croft from the very beginning.
