Chapter 17
Richard scrambled backward on his hands and knees, scrambling over the filthy concrete floor. "Aldric! Wait! It was the cartel! They forced me!"
Aldric walked slowly forward, his suppressed rifle lowered but ready. The tactical beams of his operators cut through the smoke, illuminating the terrified, sniveling man.
"You used my home as collateral," Aldric stated, his voice a low, vibrating hum of absolute danger. "You watched your sister beat my five-year-old child, and you said nothing. You are a coward, Richard."
"I'll give you everything!" Richard wept, raising his hands in a pathetic display of surrender. "I'll sign over my company! I'll leave the country!"
"Your company is bankrupt," Aldric informed him, stopping just inches away. "My cyber division liquidated your assets ten minutes ago. You have absolutely nothing left to bargain with."
Two cartel soldiers suddenly emerged from the upper catwalk, attempting to ambush Aldric. Without even looking up, Aldric’s tactical operators laid down a precise, devastating volley of suppressing fire, neutralizing the threat in seconds.
Richard sobbed, pressing his face against the cold floor. "Please! Clara needs me! She's my daughter!"
Aldric’s jaw locked tight. "You should have thought about Clara before you brought a war to my doorstep. Your daughter will be provided for by a blind trust. She will never know the monster her father truly was."
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"No! Please!"
"Take him," Aldric commanded his men, turning his back on the pathetic creature. "Hand him over to the federal task force investigating the Roman Syndicate. Let him rot in a maximum-security cell for the rest of his miserable life."
