Chapter 15 - Checkmate in the GardenViktor’s eyes darted toward his mercenaries. "Kill him."
The mercenaries raised their weapons—but before their fingers could even touch the triggers, the skylights above shattered in a deafening rain of glass.
CLANG!
Stun grenades dropped through the open roof, detonating with blinding flashes of white light and thunderous concussive blasts.
"Flashbangs! Down!" one of the mercenaries screamed, but it was too late.
Marcus and my elite tactical team—positioned on the upper glass catwalks—opened fire with non-lethal suppression rounds. In less than four seconds, Viktor’s private detail was neutralized, slammed into the marble floor, disarmed, and zip-tied before they even knew what hit them.
Viktor stumbled backward, his face draining of all color, his polished composure shattering completely. "No... no, this is impossible! We jammed your comms! We monitored your security grid!"
"You monitored what I wanted you to monitor, Viktor," I said, stepping closer, my voice low and dangerous. "You thought you were the smartest spider in the web. You forgot who built the house."
Viktor lunged forward, desperately reaching for a concealed pistol inside his jacket.
I didn't hesitate. I closed the distance in a flash, grabbed his wrist with bone-crushing force, and twisted it upward.
CRACK.
Viktor shrieked in agony as his wrist snapped, the pistol clattering harmlessly against the marble. I drove my fist straight into his stomach, doubling him over, and slammed him down hard against the stone edge of the central fountain.
"You killed my wife," I snarled, gripping him by the collar of his ruined suit and hauling him up until his face was inches from mine. "You disabled the cameras. You helped the Vanguard steal my life."
"I had to!" Viktor gasped, coughing blood, his eyes wide with sheer terror. "The Syndicate owned my debts! They would have killed me!"
"Then you should have let them," I whispered.
I shoved him away, sending him sprawling into the arms of Marcus and two tactical operators.
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"Lock him in the lower holding cells with Julian," I ordered, wiping a speck of dust from my sleeve. "Make sure federal prosecutors have all the files from Audrey's journal waiting on their desks before sunrise."
"Right away, sir," Marcus said, hauling Viktor to his feet as the traitor whimpered and dragged his broken body toward the exit.
