Chapter 4 - Paying the Ultimate PriceBrock Harding scrambled to regain his authoritative police posture, his hand dropping toward his holster. "Hey! Who the hell do you think you are? This is my jurisdiction! You bastards think you can just barge in here—"
Bang!
Before Knox could give a command, Marcus drew his sidearm from its leather holster and fired a single shot straight through the badge on Brock's chest. The bullet embedded itself deep into the doorframe behind the terrified sheriff, leaving a clean, sharp hole.
Brock collapsed onto the tile floor, completely drained of color.
"Jurisdiction?" Knox stood up slowly, his towering height suffocating every inch of the room. He stepped forward, pressing the toe of his shoe hard against Brock's chin, forcing the corrupt cop to look up. "You kicked my dog. You let innocent blood spill on this floor."
"I... I'm the sheriff... the Whitmores back me up..." Brock stammered, spittle flying from his lips.
Veronica Whitmore shook as she forced herself forward, her voice hoarse as she tried to salvage a shred of pride. "You... do you know who we are? My husband is Preston Whitmore III! This whole city belongs to us! Money, power—"
Knox turned his head. His eyes were as cold as a graveyard.
"Money? Power?" Knox chuckled dryly, devoid of any warmth. "As of this second, the name Whitmore no longer exists in Crestwood."
Marcus stepped forward, flipping open a black leather briefcase filled with legal documents stamped in official red wax.
"The Whitmore family assets have been completely frozen over the past ten minutes," Marcus stated calmly. "Bank defaults, tax evasion, bribing Sheriff Brock Harding—all of it has been transmitted directly to federal investigators via Castellano's private network. The Whitmores are officially bankrupt."
Preston slumped limply into a chair, the wineglass slipping from his fingers to shatter against the floor, red liquid spreading like fresh blood.
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Veronica let out a piercing shriek, lunging forward to claw at Knox: "You tricked us! Who the hell are you?!"
Before she could even graze the lapel of Knox's coat, two black-suited bodyguards grabbed her firmly by both shoulders, pinning her arms back.
