Daniel came home early and saw his mother nearly frozen on the security camera.

They brought Elias back to the harbor at dusk.

Beat him badly. Left him bound and bleeding on the dock as a warning. We watched from the shadows as fishermen found him. Carried him to the clinic. Daniel waited until dark to slip inside.

When he returned hours later, his face was grim.

"Elias is alive," Daniel said. "Broken ribs. Concussion. Internal injuries. But he is strong. The doctor says he will recover."

"And the drive?" I asked.

Daniel pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Handwritten in Elias's shaky handwriting. Coordinates. A depth mark. A note scrawled beneath: Waterproof. Salt-resistant casing. Will hold until you return.

"He remembered exactly where it hit," Daniel said quietly. "He marked the spot. Before they dragged him away."

He sat beside me. We were hiding in a small cottage miles from the harbor. Safe for the moment. But running out of time. Running out of places to hide.

"Robert believes he has won," Daniel continued. "He thinks the evidence is gone. Destroyed. He will begin clearing his accounts by week's end. Prepare to vanish forever."

"Then we must dive before he leaves," I said. "Retrieve the drive. Send it. Expose him."

Daniel looked at me. Then slowly shook his head.

"There is something I did not tell you," he said. "Something Elias said before he lost consciousness."

Daniel paused. Swallowed hard.

"Robert did not send those boats by chance. He did not guess where we were. Someone told him."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Elias told you?"

"Someone we trusted," Daniel said. "Someone who knew exactly where we were going. Someone who knew Elias. Someone who knew about the boat."

"Julian?" I whispered.

Daniel nodded slowly.

"Julian called Robert the moment we left the hotel. He led them straight to Elias. He even told them about the satellite link. Elias heard him speaking to one of the men before they boarded the boat."

My mind reeled. Julian. The man who had warned us. Who had fled. Who had pretended to be afraid. Who had fed us just enough truth to keep us trusting him... while leading Robert every single step of the way.

"He was never on our side," I said hollowly.

"No," Daniel said. "He played both sides perfectly. Waited to see which way the wind blew. And when he saw we could not win... he sold us to save his own skin."

Daniel stood up. Walked to the window. The darkness outside felt endless.

"Everything that has gone wrong... every trap... every close call... Julian placed us right where Robert wanted us."

"Then Julian is still with him," I said. "Still feeding him information."

"Yes," Daniel said. "Which means Julian knows about the letter. About the iron box. About everything. He will tell Robert that we may still have a backup. That we will come back for it."

Daniel turned back to me. His face hard as stone.

"So Robert will be waiting at those coordinates. With men. With guns. Watching the water day and night. Knowing we have no choice but to return."

"Then it is a trap," I said.

Daniel nodded.

"Yes. Exactly. But it is also our only chance. Because Robert believes we are desperate. That we will rush in blindly to retrieve the drive. He will not expect us to turn the trap back against him."

He sat beside me again. Leaned forward. Spoke low and intense.

"We let them watch the water. While we do something else entirely. Elias told me something else before he passed out. Something Robert does not know. The drive was duplicated twice. He kept a second copy. Hidden inside the boat's own system. He sent it... right before they boarded him."

My breath caught. "It is already uploaded?"

"Not fully," Daniel said. "Half the files are transmitted. The other half... are waiting to be completed. But Elias sent a signal. A beacon. Locked to Robert's own IP address. Once the second half uploads... the entire package is sent to the authorities automatically. Traced directly to Robert's computer. To his name. To his home."

I stared at him. "Elias set him up."

Daniel gave a grim, terrible smile.

"Robert thinks he won. He thinks he destroyed the evidence. He thinks Julian delivered him the victory. But Elias... turned the trap around. Robert is sitting on a bomb he does not even know exists. And it will detonate... exactly forty-eight hours from now."

Daniel stood up. His voice rang with sudden, fierce hope.

"In forty-eight hours... the upload completes. The evidence appears. Robert's name is all over it. And every crime he ever committed... is traced straight back to him. To his account. To his orders."

"And Julian?" I asked.

Daniel's smile hardened.

"Julian gave Robert exactly what he wanted. And in doing so... he handed him the noose. When the authorities trace the upload... they will also trace the betrayal. Julian sold us. But Elias made certain Julian's betrayal... becomes the very thing that destroys them both."

He reached out and squeezed my hand.