Chapter 8 - THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
While the city slept under the cover of the raging rainstorm, the top floor of the City Municipal Building was ablaze with light.
Inside the executive suite, Captain Marcus Reyes stood before a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the glittering skyline. He was meticulously adjusting the cuffs of a crisp white dress shirt, his expression unreadable despite the chaotic radio chatter blaring from three tactical headsets on his desk.
Behind him, sitting in a leather armchair, was a sleek, middle-aged man in a bespoke gray suit—District Attorney Arthur Vance, Daniel's wealthy, estranged cousin and one of the most powerful political figures in the state.
"You lost the badge, Marcus," Arthur said coldly, swirling a glass of scotch. "And worse, you let a cleaning woman and a seven-year-old child slip through a perimeter of fifty armed officers."
Reyes turned slowly, his dark eyes sharp and lethal as a razor blade. "Clara Vance is a nobody. She’s terrified, bleeding, and running on adrenaline. She has no money, no political allies, and the entire public believes she’s an armed kidnapper who lost her mind."
"She has Julian Vance," Arthur reminded him sharply, leaning forward. "Julian knows how Daniel thought. And in three days, the automated timer on Daniel's vault at National Commerce expires. If that evidence reaches the Federal Grand Jury, you won't just lose your captaincy, Marcus—we will both spend the rest of our lives in a federal supermax facility."
Reyes walked over to his desk, picking up a secure, encrypted satellite phone.
May you like
"National Commerce Bank doesn't open its main vault until 9:00 AM on Monday," Reyes said, a sinister smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "We own the bank's head of security, and we own the precinct SWAT team. If Clara Vance steps anywhere near that lobby, she won't be arrested. She will be shot on sight as an active bank robber."
He pressed a speed-dial button on the phone. "Deploy the tactical units to the banking district. Set up snipers on the surrounding rooftops. If you spot Clara Vance or the child... execute them immediately."
