Chapter 11 - VICTOR’S LAST OFFER
Victor walked into the office alone.
At least he appeared alone.
His jacket was off.
Sleeves rolled up.
No gun visible.
That meant nothing.
I kept mine pointed at him.
“Stop.”
He stopped.
His eyes moved to Raymond.
“You disappoint me.”
Raymond laughed bitterly.
“You killed Evelyn.”
Victor’s expression barely changed.
“No. I made a threat.”
“You sabotaged her car.”
“I ordered Tomas to make it unstable.”
“That can kill somebody.”
“So can driving in rain.”
I stepped forward.
“Say that again.”
Victor looked at me.
“There he is.”
“Who?”
“The Daniel I remember.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you better than your wife did.”
My finger tightened along the frame of the gun.
Victor smiled.
“You want to shoot me.”
“No.”
“Yes, you do.”
He moved closer.
“Do it.”
Raymond said, “Victor.”
“Stay out of this.”
Victor opened his arms.
“Come on, Daniel. One bullet. Then you’re the grieving widower who lost control.”
I understood.
He wanted me angry.
Wanted me stupid.
Wanted one final piece of evidence proving I was exactly the monster he had told everyone I was.
I lowered the gun.
His smile faded.
“No?”
“No.”
“Evelyn really did ruin you.”
“She tried to save me.”
Victor laughed.
“From what?”
“You.”
“No. From yourself.”
He pointed around the office.
“You think I built this? We built it.”
“I never told you to steal wages.”
“You told me to make margins.”
“I never told you to bribe cops.”
“You told me permits couldn’t be delayed.”
“I never told you to threaten employees.”
“You told me problems had to disappear.”
Each sentence hit like a nail.
Because every one contained a piece of truth.
Victor stepped closer.
“You never wanted details, Daniel. You wanted results.”
I said nothing.
“You loved being clean because I was willing to get dirty.”
Raymond whispered, “He’s right about that.”
I looked at my uncle.
“I know.”
Victor blinked.
He hadn’t expected that.
I continued.
“I built a system where men like you could hide behind my silence.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t make you innocent.”
“No.”
“Doesn’t make me innocent either.”
Victor stared.
Then laughed.
“What are you going to do? Confess?”
“Yes.”
The laughter stopped.
“To what?”
“Everything I knew. Everything I ignored. Every illegal favor I approved. Every payment I suspected.”
Raymond looked horrified.
“Daniel.”
Victor shook his head.
“You won’t.”
“I already sent files to three law firms and a federal prosecutor.”
That part was a bluff.
For now.
But Victor didn’t know.
His face went pale.
“You idiot.”
“There he is.”
“You’ll destroy the company.”
“Maybe it deserves to be destroyed.”
“Thousands of people work for us!”
“And thousands were stolen from.”
“You think the world gets better if Blackwell collapses?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I think the lying stops.”
Victor stared at me.
Then his eyes moved toward the hallway.
Too late, I understood.
He wasn’t alone.
Tomas appeared behind Raymond.
A gun pressed to my uncle’s neck.
Raymond froze.
Victor smiled.
“You still don’t understand leverage.”
Tomas shoved Raymond forward.
Victor reached for my gun.
I stepped back.
“Drop it.”
Tomas cocked his weapon.
I dropped mine.
Victor kicked it away.
“Good.”
He looked almost sad.
“I offered you a life, Daniel.”
“You offered me a cage.”
“I offered you the truth about how power works.”
“No. You offered me excuses.”
His face hardened.
“Tomas.”
Before Tomas could move, the building fire alarm exploded.
Sirens.
Strobes.
Sprinklers activated.
Water poured from the ceiling.
Victor looked up.
“What the hell?”
The office screens flickered.
Then June’s face appeared on every monitor.
Live.
She was sitting somewhere with Aaron.
“Hi, Victor.”
Victor went white.
June smiled.
“You really should change your passwords.”
Aaron’s voice came from off-screen.
“We copied the archive.”
Victor shouted, “Shut it down!”
June continued.
“And we sent it somewhere you can’t reach.”
Victor stared at me.
I smiled.
“That part wasn’t a bluff.”
For the first time in fifteen years, Victor Hale looked afraid.
May you like
Then gunshots sounded from the lobby downstairs.
And June’s live video suddenly cut to black.
