Chapter 9 - The Exchange
The hangar was dead silent, save for the hum of the idling jet outside.
"What do you want, Architect?" Hector asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I want a guarantee," I said. "You take her. You take the money. But you scrub my family from your ledgers. My brother, my son, and me. We are dead to you. If I ever see one of your black SUVs on my street again, I go to the FBI with the master ledger I pulled from this vault ten minutes before you arrived."
I tapped the inner pocket of my jacket. It was empty, but Hector didn't know that.
Hector weighed the options. A messy shootout, millions burned, and a potential FBI leak? Or getting exactly what he came for without firing a shot.
"You are a cold man, Marcus," Hector smiled genuinely. "I accept your terms."
"Marcus, no!" Victoria screamed, raising her gun toward me.
Before she could pull the trigger, David fired. A single shot.
Victoria cried out, dropping her gun as blood bloomed across her right shoulder. She collapsed against the pallet of cash.
"Take her," I said to Hector, my voice devoid of any emotion.
Two of the cartel soldiers rushed forward, grabbing Victoria by her hair and dragging her toward the SUVs. She kicked and screamed, locking eyes with me.
"I am Ethan's mother!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face, ruining her perfect makeup. "Marcus, please! They'll kill me! I'm his mother!"
May you like
"No," I said quietly, turning my back on her. "You're just a ghost."
Hector’s men loaded the bags of cash and threw Victoria into the back of the center SUV. Hector tipped his chin to me in a mock salute, got into the passenger seat, and the convoy sped off into the desert, leaving the Gulfstream idling on the tarmac.
