Chapter 13 - THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE
The federal courthouse loomed against the stormy Philadelphia sky like a fortress of stone and betrayal.
Rain sheeted down the massive Greek Revival columns.
At 3:00 AM, the grand marble lobby was deserted except for two tired security guards and a skeleton crew of night-shift clerks.
Our van pulled right up to the restricted employee entrance.
Luca flashed an encrypted digital badge he'd pulled from Vance's unconscious pocket.
The automated security gate hummed and swung open.
We stepped out into the underground parking garage.
My taped shoes clicked loudly against the polished concrete.
"Stay close," Matteo instructed, scanning the shadows with his hand resting near his jacket.
We took the private service elevator straight up to the seventh floor—the office of the Special Federal Prosecutor, Catherine Vance.
Wait.
Catherine Vance.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Matteo," I whispered, grabbing his sleeve as the elevator doors chimed. "Catherine Vance. Is she..."
"Arthur Vance's younger sister," Matteo finished grimly. "And the lead prosecutor on the Moretti syndicate investigation."
My stomach churned violently.
"We're walking right into the lions' den!"
"We're walking into the only office in this city that has the legal authority to issue immediate federal arrest warrants for Arthur Vance and his entire network," Matteo corrected calmly. "If we went to local cops, they'd shoot us on sight."
The elevator doors slid open.
A sleek, modern reception desk greeted us, backed by glass walls overlooking the glowing city skyline.
A single clerk sat behind the desk, typing intently on a laptop.
She looked up as we approached.
"Sir, the office is closed. You need an appointment—"
Matteo didn't stop.
He walked straight past the desk and pushed open the heavy mahogany double doors marked *SPECIAL PROSECUTOR*.
Catherine Vance sat behind her executive desk, wearing a sharp gray pantsuit, reviewing a stack of red-labeled files.
She looked up, annoyance flashing across her face.
"What is the meaning of this? Security!"
"Save your breath, Catherine," a cool voice echoed from the doorway.
Arthur Vance stepped into the office behind us, flanked by two armed federal marshals.
My heart plummeted straight into my stomach.
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We were trapped.
THE END OF CHAPTER 13
