Justice of the Supreme War God

CHAPTER 43 PART 2

Detector Truth's mind raced through options. He was a hacker, not a fighter, but he knew enough to understand when he was cornered. Still, pride made him try one last gambit.

"So what?" he said with false bravado. "You going to turn me in? You realize Liam Steel will just hire someone else. There's always another hacker, another way to get to your precious wife."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Marcus pushed off from the wall, taking a single step forward. Somehow that one step made the alley feel even smaller. "Let me tell you something about Liam Steel. He's a child playing at being dangerous. He thinks money and family name make him untouchable."

"The Steel family has connections—"

"The Steel family," Marcus interrupted, his voice cutting like a razor, "has no idea who they're dealing with. Neither do you."

"Enlighten me then," Detector Truth challenged, trying to regain some control of the conversation. "Who exactly are you, Marcus Hayes?"

Marcus smiled. "Someone who's tired of people threatening what's mine."

Before Detector Truth could respond, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out reflexively—a text from Liam: Status update? Is it done?

Marcus glanced at the screen. "Your employer is impatient. Why don't you tell him you've run into complications?"

"And why would I do that?" Detector Truth tried for defiance.

"Because I'm giving you a choice, Harry." Marcus's tone was almost conversational now, which somehow made it worse. "Option one: you walk away. Delete everything related to this job, disappear back to whatever hole you crawled out of, and never work against me or mine again."

"And option two?"

"I make one phone call, and federal agents kick down your hotel room door in the next ten minutes. I already know where you're staying—the Meridian on Fifth Street, room 847, checked in under the name David Chen."

Detector Truth felt his last bit of confidence evaporate. "You're bluffing."

Marcus pulled out his phone again and pulled up a contact simply labeled "Detective Chen - Financial Crimes." His thumb hovered over the call button.

"Try me," Marcus said softly.

The two men stared at each other. Detector Truth calculated odds, angles, possibilities. Every scenario ended with him in handcuffs or worse.

"What's to stop me from just taking option one and then coming back later?" Detector Truth asked. "Once you're not watching?"

"Nothing," Marcus admitted. "Except that I'll know the moment you try. And next time, I won't offer you a choice. I'll destroy you so completely that you'll wish federal prison was the worst thing that happened to you."

It wasn't an empty threat. Detector Truth could see it in Marcus's eyes—this was a man who knew how to make people disappear in ways that left no traces.

"Fine," Detector Truth said, hating the defeat in his own voice. "I walk away. But Liam's not going to just accept that. He'll want answers."

"Tell him the truth. Tell him you tried to reinstall the trojan and couldn't. Tell him Diana's security is too tight now." Marcus's smile turned cold. "Or tell him that you ran into someone who scared you enough to quit. I don't care which story you sell. Just make sure it sticks."

Detector Truth's phone buzzed again. Another text from Liam: HELLO?? Answer me!

"Better respond," Marcus suggested. "Tell him you need more time. Buy yourself a few hours to pack up and get out of town."

With shaking fingers, Detector Truth typed: Encountered complications. Target's security upgraded. Need 48 hours to reassess approach.

Liam's response was immediate: You said this would be EASY. I'm not paying you for COMPLICATIONS.

"He's not happy," Detector Truth muttered.

"He's never happy." Marcus checked his watch. "You've got about two minutes before Diana arrives for her morning coffee. I suggest you be gone by then."

"What are you going to tell her?" Detector Truth couldn't help asking.

"The truth. That I caught the hacker who tried to frame me, and he's decided that continuing to work for Liam Steel isn't worth the risk to his freedom or his life."

Detector Truth looked at this man—this supposed nobody that Liam had dismissed as worthless trash—and understood with perfect clarity that he'd been played from the beginning. Liam hadn't hired a hacker to destroy a beggar. He'd sent an amateur against a professional.

"Who are you really?" Detector Truth asked one last time.

Marcus's expression didn't change. "Someone you should be grateful you only met once."