Chapter 7 - The Mastermind
The shadow stepped into the harsh light of the boiler room.
It was Marcus Bell holding a suppressed pistol.
Vincent stared at the television screen in absolute shock.
He had left Marcus bleeding on the driveway just thirty minutes ago.
Now Marcus was standing behind Laurel with a completely healed face.
The blood on the driveway had been totally staged.
Marcus pressed the barrel of his gun against the back of Laurel's head.
Laurel froze in terror and slowly dropped the detonator to the floor.
Vincent realized his oldest friend had been playing a double game the entire time.
Marcus looked directly into the security camera and addressed Vincent.
He confessed that he was the one who originally hired Laurel to manipulate Hannah.
He was the one who tipped off the Romano family about the hotel meeting.
Marcus said he loved Vincent like a brother but the empire was falling apart.
He believed Vincent had lost his edge ever since he fell in love with the seamstress.
Marcus wanted to push Vincent to the absolute brink to wake the monster back up.
He orchestrated the sniper the bomb and the kidnapping to force Vincent into a war.
Vincent felt a sickening betrayal tear through his chest.
He had trusted Marcus with his life for over twenty years.
Marcus told Vincent that the Romano family was currently being slaughtered by their own men.
He had used this chaos to wipe out their rivals once and for all.
Marcus reached out and grabbed Hannah by the arm.
He told Vincent that he was going to kill the seamstress anyway to ensure Vincent stayed ruthless.
He aimed his pistol directly at Hannah's heart.
Hannah did not cry or beg for her life.
She looked at Marcus with an expression of pure and unyielding defiance.
She told Marcus he was a pathetic coward who hid behind other people's power.
Marcus sneered and placed his finger on the trigger.
Hannah suddenly dropped her weight and kicked the discarded detonator across the floor.
The device slid violently into a pool of highly flammable industrial solvent.
A spark from the cracked plastic casing ignited the liquid instantly.
A wall of fire erupted between Marcus and Hannah.
Marcus screamed and covered his face as the flames licked his clothes.
Hannah used the distraction to sprint toward the heavy metal maintenance stairs.
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Vincent did not wait to watch the rest of the feed.
He dropped his rifle and sprinted toward the elevator to reach the basement.
