CHAPTER 5 – FACE TO FACE WITH THE DEVIL
CHAPTER 5 – FACE TO FACE WITH THE DEVIL
The slow clap echoed through the underground tunnels.
One.
Two.
Three.
Every guard instinctively raised his weapon toward the darkness.
The emergency lights flickered back to life, casting long shadows across the concrete corridor.
Then a lone figure stepped into view.
Black overcoat.
Leather gloves.
Silver streaks in his beard.
A faint smile that never reached his eyes.
Victor Brennon.
He stood alone, completely exposed.
Yet no one fired.
Not because they were afraid.
Because they knew a man like Victor never walked into danger without preparing ten exits.
Emmett took one step forward.
"So you're finally tired of hiding."
Victor chuckled.
"I've been watching you all night."
His eyes drifted past Emmett and settled briefly on the vault door behind him.
"Luna is in there."
It wasn't a question.
Emmett remained expressionless.
"You've lost your instincts."
Victor smiled.
"No."
"I've simply learned yours."
For several long seconds, neither man spoke.
Two kings.
One battlefield.
Then Victor spread his hands.
"Tell me, Emmett."
"How many men have died tonight because of one little girl?"
Emmett's voice was calm.
"As many as necessary."
Victor laughed.
"That's what I used to say."
Tommy's finger tightened on the trigger.
"Boss, let me end this."
"No."
Emmett never looked away from Victor.
Victor noticed.
"Still pretending you're better than me?"
Emmett answered quietly.
"I stopped pretending years ago."
The words surprised even Tommy.
Victor grinned.
"Good."
"Honesty suits you."
Without warning, Victor reached into his coat.
Every rifle aimed directly at his chest.
Instead of drawing a gun, he pulled out a weathered photograph.
He tossed it onto the floor.
It slid to Emmett's boots.
Emmett picked it up.
The picture was nearly eight years old.
Three people stood together outside a small church.
A smiling young couple...
Holding a newborn baby.
On the back, written in faded ink:
"Emily, Daniel, and our little Aurora. Forever."
Emmett looked up.
"Aurora?"
Victor nodded.
"Luna's real name."
Mrs. Ingrid covered her mouth.
Luna...
Had never been Luna.
She had been living under a false identity her entire life.
Victor continued.
"Her parents thought they could expose us."
"They collected evidence."
"Financial records."
"DNA samples."
"Government contracts."
"They believed justice still existed."
He laughed softly.
"They were adorable."
Emmett's eyes hardened.
"You killed them."
Victor shrugged.
"I ordered it."
"But someone interfered."
His gaze shifted toward the vault.
"Diana Harper."
For the first time since arriving, genuine emotion crossed Victor's face.
"One waitress."
"One terrified young woman."
"She stole the baby."
"She disappeared."
"I've spent seven years searching."
Tommy frowned.
"If the evidence died with the parents..."
Victor smiled.
"It didn't."
He tapped the side of his head.
"Diana hid it."
"Only she knew where."
"And before she vanished..."
"She taught the child a nursery rhyme."
Silence.
Victor's smile widened.
"Children remember songs."
"They don't remember passwords."
Understanding crashed into Emmett.
The evidence wasn't in a bank.
It wasn't on a server.
It was hidden behind a code embedded in Luna's childhood memories.
Victor didn't need the girl because she was an heir.
He needed the words she didn't even realize she remembered.
A radio crackled.
"Boss!"
A frantic voice shouted from upstairs.
"We've got movement!"
"Police!"
Tommy looked confused.
"Police?"
More voices followed.
"FBI!"
"State police!"
"News helicopters!"
Victor chuckled.
"Perfect timing."
Emmett narrowed his eyes.
"You called them."
Victor nodded.
"Of course."
He looked almost amused.
"When the authorities arrive..."
"They'll find a mansion full of illegal weapons."
"Dead bodies."
"Burning vehicles."
"And Chicago's most notorious crime boss."
He leaned closer.
"Tell me, Emmett."
"Who do you think they'll believe?"
The realization hit everyone at once.
The entire assault had been designed to make Emmett appear responsible.
Victor had set the stage hours earlier.
He intended to destroy Emmett without firing another shot.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Growing louder.
Closer.
Victor stepped backward into the darkness.
"Our game is just beginning."
Before anyone could stop him, hidden smoke grenades exploded throughout the tunnel.
Visibility vanished.
Gunfire erupted.
By the time the smoke cleared...
Victor Brennon was gone.
May you like
Only the old family photograph remained on the floor.
And the sound of approaching sirens echoed through the frozen night.
