Chapter 18 - The Collapse of the Underground
Arthur roared with fury, swinging a heavy, grease-stained wrench toward Gabriel’s head. Gabriel ducked under the arc, delivering a brutal, decisive blow to Arthur’s ribs that cracked bone and sent the mechanic stumbling backward against the junction box.
Sparks flew in a blinding shower of blue and white light as the electrical casing short-circuited.
Gabriel pinned Arthur against the wall with his forearm, his fingers wrapping around the collar of the oil-stained jacket.
“It’s over, Arthur,” Gabriel whispered, his face inches from the older man’s sweating brow. “The ghost is dead. Again.”
Arthur spat a mouthful of blood onto the concrete, laughing hysterically even as he struggled for air under Gabriel’s crushing weight.
“You think... you think I’m the only one?” Arthur choked out, his eyes wide and wild with manic triumph. “The syndicates didn’t go away, Gabriel. They just put on new suits. When the feds open that thumb drive I sent you... they’re going to find your own name on the founding documents from 2012.”
Gabriel froze.
“What did you say?”
“Your grandfather’s signature,” Arthur wheezed, a bloody grin spreading across his face. “The seed money for Rowan Freight didn’t come from a legitimate bank loan. It came from the exact same offshore trust that funded Viktor Volkov. You’re built on the very same blood you spent ten years trying to wash off your hands.”
Before Gabriel could press him further, heavy footsteps echoed down the brick tunnel behind them.
“Mr. Rowan!” a voice shouted.
It was the head of Gabriel’s private security detail, flanked by four armed operatives in tactical gear, their rifles raised.
“Secure him,” Gabriel ordered, stepping away from Arthur as if the man carried a plague.
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The guards swarmed the mechanic, slapping heavy steel zip-ties around his wrists and hauling him up off the concrete.
Gabriel stared down at the detonator lying in the puddle, its digital timer blinking its final red numbers before shorting out completely in the water: 00:00.
