Chapter 7 - The Desperate Deal
Arthur knew they could not trust the local police.
The files clearly showed that the police commissioner was heavily paid by Evelyn's syndicate.
They needed someone completely outside of the city's corrupt circle.
Max remembered an old investigative journalist who had been trying to expose the syndicate for years.
The journalist, an old man named Thomas, lived in a heavily fortified apartment across town.
It was a massive risk to move through the streets again, but it was their only option.
They left the safety of the underground just as the first light of dawn began to break.
The city was waking up, and the streets were filled with early morning commuters.
They kept their heads down, blending into the crowds as best as they could.
Suddenly, a fleet of black SUVs aggressively blocked the intersection ahead of them.
Armed men in suits poured out, their eyes scanning the crowd with lethal intent.
Evelyn had ordered a full lockdown of the sector.
Arthur quickly pulled Lily and Max into a crowded coffee shop to avoid detection.
He watched through the glass window as Evelyn herself stepped out of the lead vehicle.
Her arm was bandaged from where Arthur had struck her with the pipe.
She looked frantic, her composure completely shattered by desperation.
She began grabbing innocent pedestrians, showing them a picture of Arthur and screaming for information.
Arthur realized they were completely trapped.
There was no way to reach the journalist's apartment without being spotted by the perimeter guards.
He looked at Lily, his heart breaking at the thought of failing her again.
But Lily did not look scared anymore; she looked determined.
She pointed to the back of the coffee shop, towards a small delivery door.
She said she remembered seeing the delivery trucks use a back alley network that wasn't on the main grid.
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Arthur realized her sharp observation skills were going to save their lives.
They slipped through the back door just as Evelyn’s men entered the front of the shop.
