Chapter 12 - THE SHOT
Noah saw the red dot.
“DOWN!”
He tackled Pierce.
A bullet cracked through the air.
It struck David in the shoulder.
Evelyn screamed.
“David!”
More shots hit the road.
Sarah fired toward the trees.
“Sniper!”
They dragged David behind the barrier.
Blood soaked his shirt.
Noah pressed his hands against the wound.
“Dad!”
David grimaced.
“I’m okay.”
“You got shot!”
“I’ve had worse meetings.”
Noah almost laughed.
Almost.
Police sirens approached.
The sniper stopped firing.
Sarah looked at Pierce.
“Can you prove Reyes is involved?”
Pierce nodded.
“I copied everything.”
“Where?”
He pointed toward the burning sedan.
Everyone stared.
Pierce shut his eyes.
“Okay. That was unfortunate.”
Lily suddenly tugged Noah’s sleeve.
“I have it.”
“What?”
She pulled her stuffed rabbit close.
“When Dr. Pierce showed me the phone, he gave me this.”
Pierce stared.
“You kept it?”
Lily unzipped a hidden seam in the rabbit.
Inside was a tiny flash drive.
Pierce laughed in disbelief.
“You are terrifying.”
Lily frowned.
“Thank you.”
Sarah plugged the drive into her laptop.
Files appeared.
Payment records.
Videos.
Names.
Judges.
Doctors.
Politicians.
Executives.
And Agent Carmen Reyes.
Noah stared.
“This can end everything.”
Sarah shook her head.
“Only if we get it somewhere she can’t erase.”
David struggled to sit up.
“Bennett Global has an independent server.”
Sarah laughed.
“The company that funded this?”
“The board doesn’t control every system.”
He gave Noah a password.
“Upload it to the public investor portal.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“That will destroy the company.”
David looked at her.
“I know.”
“And you?”
“I know.”
Noah watched his father.
For years, David had chosen the company.
Now he was offering to burn it down.
“Why now?” Noah asked.
David’s eyes met his.
“Because I spent fifteen years telling myself I was protecting my family.”
His voice broke.
“All I did was teach the people hurting you that I could be bought.”
Noah swallowed hard.
David continued.
“I can’t undo that.”
“No.”
“I know.”
Noah took the laptop.
“But you can help stop it.”
They drove to a secure Bennett Global facility.
Sarah bypassed the security entrance.
Noah entered the password.
Upload began.
5%.
18%.
43%.
Then every screen went black.
A message appeared.
ACCESS REVOKED.
David stared.
“That’s impossible.”
A new message appeared.
HELLO, DAVID.
Then a live video feed opened.
Thomas Bennett lay in a hospital bed.
Alive.
Smiling.
“You really thought one bullet would get rid of me?”
Noah’s blood went cold.
Thomas leaned closer to the camera.
“And now that you’ve chosen them over me…”
May you like
His smile vanished.
“…I’m going to take everything.”
