Chapter 7 - THE FINAL GAMBIT
General Vance immediately reached for his sidearm, but William’s four tactical guards drew their suppressed weapons faster, pointing them directly at Richard’s chest.
"Easy, General," William said calmly, raising his hand. "Let's not make this family reunion messy. Lower your weapon."
Richard slowly let his hand fall from his holster, glaring at his uncle with pure venom. "You betrayed your country, William. You betrayed your own blood!"
"Country? Blood?" William scoffed, taking a slow step toward Marcus. "Childish concepts. The world isn't run by flags and family ties, Richard. It is run by resources. Ten years ago, your brother’s squad discovered a fifty-billion-dollar rare-earth mineral deposit in Kunduz. If the government found out, it would have been tied up in red tape for decades. I simply... redirected the assets."
"And you sacrificed my squad to do it," Marcus said, his voice flat, emotionless, like the calm before a hurricane.
"They were soldiers, Marcus! They signed up to die for their country!" William snapped, his calm facade cracking for a split second. "Your sacrifice allowed me to fund defense operations that kept this nation safe for a decade! You should be proud of your loss!"
William looked at Marcus’s empty sleeve, a dark, mocking smile creeping onto his lips. "You think you won tonight because you arrested Victor and tanked a bank? Victor was an errand boy. I own the federal agencies. The moment I leave this building, the evidence on that USB drive will be classified as a threat to national security. It will be erased from every server on Earth by midnight."
"I know," Marcus said simply.
William frowned, thrown off by Marcus's total lack of fear. "You know?"
"I knew Victor would break. I knew you would monitor the bank's shutdown. And I knew the only way to pull you out of the shadows was to make you think you needed to clean up the mess yourself," Marcus explained, taking one step toward William.
William’s guards raised their weapons, aiming directly at Marcus’s head, but Marcus didn't even blink.
"Shoot him, and you die here," Richard warned the guards.
"They won't shoot," Marcus said quietly. "Because William didn't come here to kill me. He came here to buy me."
William paused, his eyes narrowing. "You always were too smart for your own good, Marcus. Name your price. Half of the offshore funds? Full restoration of your military rank? A seats on the private council? You can have whatever you want. Just give me the master decryption keys."
Marcus looked down at his single hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen was lit up with an active satellite call.
"I don't want your money, William," Marcus said. "And I don't want my rank back."
"Then what are you doing?" William demanded, a sudden knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.
"I'm keeping my promise," Marcus answered. "When I was lying under the rubble in Kunduz, bleeding out next to my fallen brothers, I swore an oath. I promised that if I survived, I would bring the man responsible to justice. Not in a secret military court. Not behind closed doors."
Marcus flipped his phone screen toward William.
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The screen displayed a live broadcast feed from the White House Press Room. The President of the United States was standing at the podium, flanked by the Director of the FBI and the Attorney General. On the monitors behind the President were live video feeds of the boardroom—capturing every single word William Vance had just said, streamed directly via satellite to the oval office and five hundred global news networks.
"You're live on national television, Uncle William," Marcus said softly. "The President just signed your arrest warrant thirty seconds ago."
