Justice of the Supreme War God

CHAPTER 42 PART 2

The next morning, Detector Truth arrived at Blue Haven Café thirty minutes before Diana Morrison's usual arrival time. He'd done his homework—she came in every weekday at 7:45 AM, ordered a vanilla latte, and worked on her laptop for exactly forty-five minutes before heading to her office.

Predictable. Perfect.

He chose a table with a clear line of sight to her usual spot, setting up his equipment with practiced efficiency. The laptop looked ordinary to casual observers, but beneath its mundane exterior ran software that could crack most commercial security systems in minutes.

The café filled with the morning rush—professionals grabbing coffee before work, students hunched over textbooks, freelancers claiming tables for the day. Detector Truth blended in perfectly, just another face in the crowd.

7:30 AM. He ran a final systems check. Everything was ready.

7:45 AM. The door chimed. Detector Truth looked up expectantly, his finger hovering over the activation key for his proximity hack.

But it wasn't Diana Morrison who walked through that door.

It was Marcus Hayes.

Detector Truth felt his blood run cold. Marcus moved through the café with an easy confidence that seemed at odds with the modest clothing he wore. But it was his eyes that made Detector Truth's instincts scream danger—they swept the room with the systematic precision of someone trained to identify threats.

And they locked directly onto Detector Truth.

Marcus smiled. It wasn't a friendly expression.

"Mind if I sit?" Marcus asked, already pulling out the chair across from Detector Truth before waiting for an answer.

Detector Truth's hand moved subtly toward his laptop's power button, but Marcus's hand shot out with lightning speed, his fingers wrapping around Detector Truth's wrist with crushing force.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Marcus said pleasantly. "We're just two people having a friendly morning chat. No need to wipe your hard drive quite yet."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Detector Truth kept his voice steady, but sweat beaded on his forehead. "You've got the wrong person."

"Really?" Marcus's grip tightened fractionally. Detector Truth bit back a wince. "So you're not the Singapore-based hacker who flew into the city four days ago on a private charter? You didn't plant a trojan on my wife's phone at this exact café? And you're definitely not here right now to try the same trick again?"

Detector Truth's face went white. "How did you—"

"Know?" Marcus finished. "Because I'm very good at what I do. Just like you're supposed to be good at what you do. Although I have to say, coming back to the same location was sloppy. Expected better from someone with your reputation."

"Listen, man, this is just business—"

"Business," Marcus repeated, his tone going cold enough to frost the windows. "You tried to frame me for theft. You tried to destroy my wife's company. You planned to bankrupt her and put innocent people out of work. And you call that business?"

Detector Truth tried to pull his hand free. Marcus's grip didn't budge an inch. Around them, other café patrons remained oblivious to the confrontation, absorbed in their own worlds.

"I was hired for a job," Detector Truth said desperately. "I'm just the tool. You want someone to blame, blame the person who hired me."

"Oh, I already know who hired you." Marcus's smile was predatory. "Liam Steel. Third-rate thug with delusions of competence who thinks throwing money at problems makes them disappear. But see, here's the thing—I don't care about Liam right now. Right now, I care about you."

"What do you want?" Detector Truth's voice cracked slightly.

Marcus leaned forward, his presence suddenly overwhelming. "I want you to understand something very clearly. You made a mistake targeting my wife. You made an even bigger mistake trying to drag my name through the mud. And you made the biggest mistake of your career coming back here to try again."

"I'll refund the money," Detector Truth said quickly. "I'll disappear. You'll never hear from me again."

"You're right about that last part." Marcus released Detector Truth's wrist and pulled out his phone. "Because I've already sent every piece of evidence about your little operation to the Financial Crimes Unit. They're probably kicking down your hotel room door right about now."

Detector Truth's eyes widened in horror. "You can't—"

"Already did." Marcus showed him his phone screen. It displayed a confirmation email from Detective Chen, timestamped twenty minutes ago. "They found your equipment, your client communications, everything. Your dark web reputation? Consider it destroyed. Nobody hires hackers who get caught."

"You bastard," Detector Truth hissed. "Do you have any idea who I am? The people I work for—"

"Don't care." Marcus stood, looking down at the hacker with complete disdain. "You're small-time. A tool, like you said. And tools get discarded when they break."

Detector Truth lunged up from his chair, rage overriding common sense. Marcus didn't even bother moving. He simply shifted his weight slightly, and when Detector Truth's fist came at him, Marcus caught it mid-swing with one hand.

The café went silent. Everyone was staring now.

"Don't," Marcus said softly, dangerously. "You're already looking at federal charges. You really want to add assault to the list?"

Detector Truth froze, his face contorted with impotent fury. Marcus released his fist and stepped back.

"The police will be here in about three minutes," Marcus said conversationally. "You can wait for them like a professional, or you can run and make it worse. Your choice."

"Liam will bury you for this," Detector Truth spat. "The Steel family doesn't forget—"

Marcus laughed. The sound was genuinely amused, which somehow made it more terrifying. "The Steel family. Right. Because they've been so successful at dealing with me so far."

He leaned in close enough that only Detector Truth could hear his next words. "Tell Liam something for me when you make your phone call from jail. Tell him that he's playing a game he doesn't understand, with an opponent he can't see. Tell him that every move he makes, I'm three steps ahead. And tell him that if he comes after my wife again, I won't be nearly as gentle as I've been."

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. Detector Truth's face cycled through emotions—fear, anger, calculation, and finally resignation.

"You're not what you appear to be," Detector Truth said quietly. "Nobody without serious connections could track me that fast, could pull evidence together that quickly. Who the hell are you really?"

Marcus smiled enigmatically. "Just a concerned husband looking out for his wife's interests."

The café door burst open. Detective Chen and two uniformed officers entered, their eyes scanning the room before landing on Detector Truth.

"That's him," Marcus confirmed, pointing. "The hacker you're looking for."

Detector Truth didn't resist as the officers approached. What was the point? His equipment was seized, his reputation ruined, his freedom measured in minutes now instead of years.

As they led him out in handcuffs, he looked back at Marcus one last time. The man stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking for all the world like an ordinary person who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

But Detector Truth knew better. He'd made his living in the shadows, recognizing dangerous people by instinct. And Marcus Hayes radiated danger the way the sun radiated heat—constant, inevitable, overwhelming.

Whoever this man really was, Detector Truth was glad he'd never have to find out.

After the police left, Marcus ordered Diana's usual vanilla latte and a black coffee for himself. He settled into her regular seat, pulling out his phone to text her.

At Blue Haven. Caught your morning visitor. You're safe now. —M

Three dots appeared immediately, then disappeared. Then appeared again. Finally, Diana's response came through.

We need to talk. Tonight.

Marcus smiled slightly. Yes, they definitely needed to talk. But first, he had one more person to visit.

Liam Steel had no idea what was coming for him.

But he was about to find out.