Chapter 7 - The Night The Syndicate Turned Against Its Own King
Victor chose an abandoned theater for the exchange.
The building had been closed for eleven years.
No cameras.
No working phones.
No witnesses.
Perfect.
Tatum carried the ledger.
Declan walked beside her.
Marcus remained behind with Arthur and Elena.
No one trusted him completely.
Not even Marcus expected them to.
The plan was simple.
Get Maya.
Expose Victor.
Survive.
Simple plans rarely survived contact with reality.
The moment Tatum entered the theater, the lights came on.
Hundreds of empty seats.
One child sitting on the stage.
Maya.
Her hands weren't tied.
Tatum started forward.
A gun appeared beside Maya's head.
Victor stepped into the light.
"Stop."
Tatum froze.
Declan stepped beside her.
Victor smiled.
"You've become an inconvenience."
Tatum said nothing.
Victor gestured.
"The ledger."
She held it up.
"You get my daughter first."
Victor laughed.
"You've been watching too many movies."
Declan signed.
Victor looked confused.
Tatum translated.
"He says your men are nervous."
Victor looked toward his soldiers.
She was right.
Their shoulders were tense.
Hands too close to weapons.
They had expected an easy exchange.
They had not expected resistance.
Victor shrugged.
"Your boss is very observant."
Tatum smiled.
"He's more than that."
Victor's smile vanished.
"You care about him."
Tatum looked at Declan.
He looked back.
She realized she did.
More than she wanted to admit.
Victor saw it.
"That's unfortunate."
Then the theater doors slammed shut.
Gunfire erupted.
But the shots weren't aimed at Tatum.
They were aimed at Victor's men.
Marcus had arrived.
Arthur was behind him.
And so were half a dozen members of the Collective who had finally seen the truth.
Victor shouted.
"You traitor!"
Marcus raised his weapon.
"No."
He looked at Declan.
"I was your traitor."
Then he looked at Victor.
"Now I'm your enemy."
The fight lasted less than five minutes.
Victor escaped through the basement.
Tatum ran to Maya.
Her daughter threw herself into her arms.
Tatum cried.
"I'm sorry."
Maya hugged her.
"Mommy, I knew you'd come."
Across the stage, Declan stood watching.
For one brief second, he smiled.
Then his knees buckled.
Tatum screamed.
A bullet had struck him beneath the ribs.
She dropped Maya into Elena's arms and ran.
Declan was bleeding badly.
His hands shook.
He tried to sign.
She couldn't understand.
"Don't."
She pressed her hand to the wound.
"Save your strength."
He wrote with trembling fingers on the floor.
WINTER.
Tatum frowned.
"What?"
He pointed toward the clock.
Winter.
Then the theater lights flickered.
A timer appeared on the projector screen.
00:03:00.
Explosives.
Tatum froze.
They had three minutes.
"Move!"
Everyone ran.
Tatum refused to leave Declan.
Arthur grabbed her.
"We have to go."
"No."
She looked at Declan.
He pushed her away.
She slapped his hand.
"No."
He looked stunned.
Tatum shouted, "I'm not losing you because some rich monster decided that everyone is disposable!"
Declan's eyes softened.
He pulled her close.
Then they ran.
The theater exploded behind them.
Flames rose into the night.
Sirens approached.
News helicopters circled above.
Victor had lost.
But he wasn't caught.
Not yet.
And the next morning, every television station in the city showed something unexpected.
The edited recording of Tatum had been replaced.
The uncut footage had been released.
It showed Briggs setting the trap.
It showed the hidden recorder.
It showed Delvecio's cameras.
It showed the entire conspiracy.
And one voice recording contained Victor's instructions.
The city finally heard the truth.
The Syndicate finally saw the betrayal.
And Tatum finally understood why Declan had been so careful for so long.
May you like
He had never been afraid of silence.
He had been afraid of trusting the wrong person.
