Chapter 6 - THE MASTERMIND'S CHECKMATE
Blood in the DarkAs the two guards moved past his hiding spot, Leo didn't attack them directly—he knew he couldn't win a physical fight.
Instead, he jammed the rusted iron pipe into the open electrical junction box and kicked a pool of stagnant subway water directly toward the guards’ boots.
SPARK! BZZZZZZT!
A blinding arc of blue electricity exploded through the water! The two mercenaries screamed as the high-voltage current surged through their boots, sending them collapsing to the ground, unconscious and twitching.
Leo sprinted past them, snagging one of their satellite phones and a tactical flash drive adapter off a guard's vest.
He ran down the dark tracks until he reached an old maintenance room with a functional hardwired fiber-optic terminal—a relic from the city's old transit authority system.
Leo plugged the satellite phone into the terminal, creating a secure, untraceable bridge connection. Then, he inserted the teardrop drive into his phone.
The screen flashed rapidly as encrypted files decoded:
PROJECT LAZARUS: ASSET LIQUIDATION
TARGET: RICHARD HARRISON (FATAL ACCIDENT ARRANGED)
SECONDARY TARGET: INFANT LEONARDO HARRISON (DISPOSAL ASSIGNED TO VICTORIA VANCE)
Leo’s blood ran cold.
Victoria Vance—the boutique manager who tried to push the elderly woman out into the street—wasn't just a rude manager. She was the hitwoman paid to eliminate him twenty-two years ago! She had failed to kill him, dumping him at an orphanage instead to pocket the execution fee!
Suddenly, a loud applause rang out from the doorway behind him.
Leo spun around, his heart dropping into his stomach.
May you like
Standing in the doorway, lit by the red emergency lights of the subway, was Julian Harrison. Beside him was Victoria Vance, holding a silenced pistol aimed directly at Leo’s chest.
"Brilliant work, cousin," Julian purred, clapping his hands slowly. "You really do have your father's intelligence. Too bad you inherited his trust in people."
