Chapter 10 - The False Victory
I stared at the electronic detonator in Silas's hand, entirely paralyzed by the impossible choice.
If I gave him the ledger, the Syndicate would survive, and my wife's sacrifice would mean absolutely nothing.
But if I refused, he would instantly murder my sister and the innocent little girl on that ship.
I looked down at the metallic flash drive resting heavily in my palm.
I am giving you the drive, Silas, I said, raising my hands in defeat.
Just let the freighter leave the docks safely.
I slowly walked forward and placed the flash drive directly into Silas's waiting hand.
Silas chuckled darkly and slipped the drive into the breast pocket of his pristine white suit.
You always were incredibly predictable when it came to the people you love, Julian.
He looked at me with absolute contempt and pressed his thumb firmly onto the red button of the detonator.
Nothing happened.
Silas frowned and pressed the button three more times in rapid succession.
The massive cargo ship continued to slowly drift away from the docks, completely unharmed.
You really should check your security details more closely, Silas, Isabella's voice suddenly crackled over a radio attached to a dead mercenary's belt.
I found your explosives twenty minutes ago and disconnected the primary receivers.
Before Silas could react to the failure, I drew the combat knife Grace had dropped and lunged forward.
I drove the blade directly into Silas's chest, burying it to the hilt.
The Syndicate mercenaries raised their weapons to fire, but the piercing wail of countless police sirens suddenly filled the air.
Isabella had triggered a massive federal response, bringing the honest factions of the FBI directly to our location.
The mercenaries panicked and scattered into the shadows, leaving Silas bleeding out on the concrete pier.
I watched the old man take his final, rattling breath as the cargo ship safely vanished into the dark horizon.
The immediate threat was finally eliminated, and my family was safe.
I turned around to thank Grace for everything she had sacrificed to help me survive this nightmare.
Grace smiled warmly at me.
Then, the smile dropped into something entirely cold, calculated, and dead.
She pulled a suppressed pistol from her coat pocket and fired a single round directly into my stomach.
I collapsed onto the freezing concrete, gasping in agony as the blood poured from the wound.
Grace knelt beside me, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Silas was just a pawn, Julian, and so were you.
I am the true head of the Syndicate, and I orchestrated this entire war to wipe out Silas's rogue faction.
Amara is not my daughter; she is a genetic clone created from your dead wife's DNA.
Grace stood up and retrieved the flash drive from Silas's dead body.
May you like
You unlocked the biometric sequence we needed to access the global accounts simply by bleeding on this pier.
She turned and walked away into the darkness, leaving me to bleed to death on the cold concrete as the sirens grew louder.
