Chapter 8 - The Pearl Street RunThe Lincoln Town Car pulled up to the curb at 10:15 AM. Marcus was driving this time; his driver, Leo, had been sent to monitor the Sterling tower.
"They've staked out the federal building," Marcus said as Claire and Sarah scrambled into the back seat. He didn't look back; he kept his eyes pinned to the side mirrors. "Arthur’s private security firm has two Suburbans parked by the public entrance on Worth Street."
"What about the service dock on Cardinal Hayes Place?" Claire asked, adjusting her seatbelt over her belly.
"Blocked by delivery trucks," Marcus replied. "They thought of that."
Sarah leaned forward, gripping the back of Marcus’s seat. "My uncle had a security clearance badge for the federal building. From when he did private escort work for the port authority. It’s in his duffel bag."
Marcus glanced at the rearview mirror. "That badge expired five years ago, Sarah."
"The magnetic stripe is dead," Sarah said, unzipping the leather bag on her lap and pulling out a faded plastic laminate on a blue lanyard. "But the barcode on the back still opens the maintenance turnstile in the lower basement. The system runs on an offline terminal that hasn't been updated since 2012. He used it every time he had to drop off manifests."
Marcus slammed his foot on the accelerator, cutting across two lanes of traffic on Broadway. "Hold on."
A black Suburban pulled out from behind a line of parked delivery vans three blocks behind them, its grill guard flashing with unauthorized amber strobes.
"They spotted us," Marcus said calmly, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.
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"They won't ram us on Broadway," Claire said, though her stomach lurched violently as Marcus swerved around a yellow cab. "Arthur is arrogant, but he's terrified of public exposure before the market opens on Monday."
"You overestimate his patience," Marcus said.
