Chapter 7 - Cornered Predators
The top floor of the Grand Park Hotel was quiet, bathed in the soft amber glow of carpeted hallways and brass wall sconces.
Dominic Cole, a broad-shouldered man with a military haircut and a permanent scowl, sat at a suite table littered with city maps, laptop computers, and tactical radios. His four private operatives were checking their sidearms, preparing for a late-night sweep of the university IT department.
"I don't care how good this hacker is," Dominic growled, clicking a bullet into an ammunition magazine. "Nobody destroys my brother's company and puts my nephew in jail without paying a heavy price. Find out who wiped those servers!"
"Looking for me, Dominic?" a voice spoke from the shadows near the balcony.
Dominic and his four men spun around, raising their weapons instantly toward the glass doors.
Standing on the balcony, framed by the city skyline behind him, was a single man in a dark coat. The rain beat against the glass behind me as I stepped calmly into the living room.
"Who the hell are you?!" Dominic barked, keeping his tactical pistol aimed at my head. "How did you get past my men in the lobby?!"
"Your men in the lobby met Marcus five minutes ago," I said smoothly. "They're currently taking a very long sleep in the basement storage room."
Dominic's operatives looked at each other nervously, their fingers tightening on their triggers.
"You're the girl's father," Dominic realized, his eyes narrowing with bitter realization. "Daniel Walker."
"I am," I said, taking two unhurried steps toward the center of the room. "And you are the uncle who thinks he can come into my city and avenge a group of spoiled, violent boys."
"My nephew Ethan made a mistake!" Dominic spat out. "He's a kid! You destroyed three families over a college fight!"
"He broke a girl's face in six places," I said, my voice dropping into a register that seemed to make the room's temperature plummet. "He stood over her while she bled onto the concrete and laughed. That wasn't a mistake, Dominic. That was evil."
"I don't care what he did!" Dominic shouted. "He's blood! And I'm going to erase you and your daughter before this week is over!"
He raised his gun to fire.
In a move so fast it appeared as a blur, I closed the distance between us. My left hand struck Dominic's wrist, redirecting his gun toward the ceiling as a loud shot shattered the light fixture above. In the same motion, my right palm struck his solar plexus, driving the air completely from his lungs.
Before his four operatives could react, I grabbed Dominic's throat, spun him around, and slammed him against the heavy oak dining table, disarming him instantly.
The four operatives raised their rifles, but red laser dots instantly appeared on their foreheads through the shattered glass of the balcony. Marcus and three of our veteran marksmen stepped out of the shadows, rifles trained on the operatives with icy precision.
"Drop them," Marcus commanded quietly.
The four men looked at the red dots burning on their foreheads, then at their breathless boss pinned against the table. One by one, they uncocked their weapons and laid them on the floor.
I leaned down over Dominic, my hand pressed firmly against his neck, looking into his bloodshot, terrified eyes.
"Nineteen years ago, I buried a man called The Ghost," I whispered. "I buried him because I wanted to raise a daughter with clean hands. But if you ever come near my child again, if you ever even speak her name, I will dig up everything I buried and lay it on your doorstep."
Dominic gagged, nodding frantically, real horror breaking through his tough military exterior. "I... I understand! I'm leaving! I'll leave the city tonight!"
I released his neck and stood up, smoothing down my jacket.
May you like
"Leave the state, Dominic," I said softly. "And tell anyone else who thinks money makes them untouchable that Daniel Walker's daughter is under permanent protection."
I turned and walked out of the suite, Marcus following close behind as the rain outside began to clear, revealing the first rays of dawn over the city horizon.
