CHAPTER 7 — The Black SUV
The black SUV rolled silently toward the riverside park.
Its windows were tinted.
No license plates.
Inside, three men dressed in black loaded suppressors onto their pistols.
"Target confirmed," the driver muttered.
"The old man and Daniel are still on the bench."
The passenger received one final message.
No witnesses.
He deleted it immediately.
Outside...
Richard Harrington had no idea death was only seconds away.
He was still staring at the documents.
"I trusted him," he whispered.
"I built this company with him."
Daniel suddenly noticed something.
The SUV wasn't driving past.
It was slowing down.
Too slowly.
His instincts screamed.
"Mr. Harrington..."
Richard looked up.
"What is it?"
Daniel didn't answer.
Instead, he grabbed Richard's arm.
"Run!"
At that exact second...
The SUV doors burst open.
Bang!
The first shot shattered the park's metal sign.
People screamed.
Birds exploded into the sky.
Daniel shoved Richard behind a concrete monument just as two more bullets slammed into the bench where they had been sitting moments earlier.
Security training.
Nobody knew Daniel had once served in the military before joining Harrington Global.
He stayed calm.
Counted the attackers.
Three men.
Professional.
Moving in formation.
One assassin circled left.
Another advanced from the front.
The third remained near the vehicle with a rifle.
Richard stared at Daniel in disbelief.
"How do you know what you're doing?"
Daniel's eyes never left the attackers.
"Because I promised myself..."
"...if they ever came..."
"...I'd be ready."
A police siren echoed faintly in the distance.
The assassins exchanged quick glances.
"This is taking too long."
The sniper raised his rifle.
Crosshairs settled directly on Richard Harrington's chest.
Daniel saw it.
There wasn't enough time to think.
He jumped.
The shot rang out.
Richard watched in horror as Daniel collapsed in front of him.
Blood spread across Daniel's white shirt.
The assassins sped away before police arrived.
Richard dropped to his knees.
"No... Daniel!"
Daniel forced a weak smile.
"Check..."
"...my jacket..."
Then his eyes closed.
Inside Daniel's jacket...
Richard found not a wallet...
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But a tiny encrypted flash drive labeled:
"Project Phoenix."
