CHAPTER 6 — The Recording That Changed Everything
Three days later...
Baltimore woke to breaking news.
A respected city health inspector had abruptly canceled every public appearance.
No explanation.
No interviews.
Behind closed doors...
Merritt was desperately trying to erase his tracks.
Phones disappeared.
Computers were destroyed.
Bank accounts emptied overnight.
People who had worked with him suddenly couldn't be reached.
Some had already fled the country.
Others...
Simply vanished.
Meanwhile...
Alaric invited Tova to meet in a small bakery far from the docks.
No bodyguards.
No weapons visible.
Only coffee.
Fresh bread.
And silence.
She almost didn't come.
When she finally sat down, she whispered,
"Why are you helping me?"
Alaric looked out the window for a long moment.
"My sister asked that question once."
His voice remained calm.
"I answered too late."
Neither spoke again for several minutes.
Finally...
Tova reached into her handbag.
She placed a tiny silver flash drive onto the table.
"I've been hiding this for almost two years."
Alaric looked at it.
"What is it?"
She swallowed.
"The night Merritt broke my collarbone..."
"He forgot his office recorder was still running."
Inside the recording...
Merritt wasn't alone.
Another man's voice laughed.
"You'll never get caught."
Merritt answered confidently.
"She's terrified."
"She won't tell anyone."
Then came a sentence that froze everyone listening.
"If she becomes a problem..."
"We'll make her disappear exactly like the last one."
The room fell silent.
Alaric replayed the recording.
Again.
And again.
The second voice...
He recognized it immediately.
Not a criminal.
Not a gang leader.
It belonged to one of Baltimore's most powerful elected officials.
Suddenly, this was no longer about rescuing one abused waitress.
It was about exposing a conspiracy protected by people at the highest levels of the city.
Alaric slowly closed the laptop.
Then looked directly at Tova.
"You didn't spill coffee on me by accident."
She frowned.
"I don't understand."
He gave the faintest smile.
"No..."
"I think fate finally decided someone should survive."
Outside the bakery...
A black sedan sat across the street.
Inside...
A sniper slowly raised his rifle.
The laser sight settled on the window where Tova was sitting.
He squeezed the trigger...
BANG!
The bakery window exploded into thousands of pieces.
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And before the smoke cleared...
Alaric had already thrown himself in front of Tova.
