CHAPTER 7 — The Man Everyone Thought Was Dead
The red laser dot trembled across Richard Kane's chest.
He stopped smiling.
"What...?"
The lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the mansion.
One shot.
Then another.
The guards rushed toward the windows.
Too late.
Smoke grenades rolled across the marble floor.
Confusion erupted.
Sophia dropped behind a table, shielding Emma.
Gunfire echoed through the halls.
When the emergency lights flickered back on...
One figure stood at the top of the staircase.
Tall.
Calm.
Holding a pistol.
Jonathan Ashford.
Alive.
Richard stared in disbelief.
"You..."
"I buried you."
Jonathan's eyes never left him.
"You buried a body."
"You never buried me."
Richard laughed despite the gun pointed at him.
"You think you've won?"
Jonathan answered quietly.
"No."
"I think you've already lost."
He pressed a button on a small remote.
Every television inside the mansion switched on.
Richard watched in horror as hidden recordings began playing.
Every meeting.
Every bribe.
Every murder order.
Every confession.
For twenty years...
Jonathan had secretly recorded everything.
Richard slowly lowered his gun.
"You planned this..."
Jonathan nodded.
"For thirty-two years."
Just then...
A voice echoed from another room.
"FBI!"
"Nobody move!"
Richard smiled again.
"You really think they're here to arrest me?"
Several armed agents entered.
But instead of aiming at Richard...
They pointed their rifles at Jonathan.
The room fell silent.
Richard laughed.
"I own half the people who wear a badge."
Sophia felt hope disappear.
May you like
Until one agent quietly whispered...
"Wait for my signal."
