The banquet hall was utterly still. Amid the wreckage of the room, Alex and Todd stood face to face against the far wall under a bank of screens. The music that had been playing during Todd's party was still running, while cheerful blobs of color flowed on the screens.
Todd's eyes were fixed on the hilt of the sword Alex had just buried in his chest. His lips opened and closed as he tried to speak, and then his legs gave out, and he dropped to the floor, not moving.
The tension of the moment was broken by a long scream, and then the room erupted into chaos. Most of the guests wanted to be as far from Alex as possible. Some stood in shock, taking in the awful scene and discovering a new depth of hatred for him. Weaving through the guests, more men in black suits surrounded Alex, armed with knives and swords. They attacked in unison, but it didn't matter. Alex disarmed and disabled them. He could have killed them all without even thinking about it, but instead, he merely rendered them incapable of attack.
The ones who were still conscious writhed and groaned a little, but none of them wanted to draw too much attention from the young man who had just defeated them. Alex stood in the center of the room and looked around.
The doors swung open, and Rufus strode into the room with his family. The Cliftons were not alone. They had been joined by people from the Chapman, Palmer, Robinson, and Steadman families—the most powerful families in the Baltimore Martial Arts Association.
It was clear Alex and his allies had regained control of Baltimore's martial arts community. Even Todd's supporters, now caught between an unsmiling Alex and so many of his people, could see that power had definitively changed hands. Most of them were resigned or frightened, but others were outraged.
"You're an animal. How could you do such a thing?"
"You've killed Kenneth's son!"
One of the injured men in black struggled to his feet, glaring at Alex. "You don't even know what you've done," he snapped. "Kenneth will be back here in the morning, and he's not going to rest until you're dead." He smiled grimly. "I can't wait to watch you try to weasel your way out of this. Whatever Jacob does to you tomorrow will be a blessing compared to what Kenneth will do to you if you survive."
Alex rolled his eyes.
"Kenneth is very well connected, so every martial arts chapter in the country will be coming after you," the man said, scowling at him. "Picking a fight with Kenneth was dumb enough. You can't even imagine the trouble you've just brought on yourself."
Alex looked around the room at Rufus, Will, Edward, and their respective families. "Maybe. But I'll have help," he said with a faint smile. He was a little sorry that Kenneth wasn't currently in Baltimore. It would have been more convenient to deal with the father and son at the same time. They would regret threatening the people he cared about.
"You think you've saved them?" the man in black asked. "What about after tomorrow? What happens to them after Jacob kills you? Who's going to protect them when you're dead?" He laughed bitterly. "The more you offend Kenneth, the worse it'll be for your friends, and you won't like the consequences."
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a buzzing cell phone, and then he looked at the screen and smiled. "This'll be good," he said, answering the call. "I'm here, Sir." He listened for a moment, and then said, "Yes, Sir. He's right—okay. Hold on." He tapped a few keys and connected his phone to the network running the screens and music, which stopped abruptly. On the screens, Kenneth's face loomed over everyone in the room, dark with cold fury.
"Mr. Ambrose," he said. "You've already made a mess of the Baltimore chapter and turned a respected institution into a sick joke. That's why I sent my son to take over. I don't know what you're doing there, but whatever sort of coup you're planning ends now. I want to see my son immediately. You've broken so many of our rules that your punishment will make whatever Jacob does to you tomorrow feel like a gentle stroll on a summer day. Provided you survive."
"Good morning, Mr. Petrie," Alex said, smiling. "Before we get to Todd, remind me of one of your rules. What's the punishment for imprisoning senior members of a local chapter without grounds? That's covered under Article Seventy-two, isn't it?"
Kenneth's eyes hardened, but he didn't answer.
"What's the penalty for ordering the deaths of local chapter members without cause or proper review?" Alex continued. "Because Todd had senior members of the Clifton and Steadman families detained, but no charges against them were ever filed. You're the arbitrator, Kenneth, so how would you address this?"
Rufus was listening very closely to the exchange. His father and Kenneth had never gotten along, but no one—least of all Jessop—would ever imagine he would shirk his duty for his own selfish goals.
"You are not the head of the Baltimore chapter anymore, Alex," Kenneth reminded him, his voice thick with disapproval. "So you don't get a say in how it's run. You don't have the standing to challenge Todd's authority in implementing my directives." He scowled. "Now, stop wasting my time, and let me speak to my son."
"My question stands, Kenneth," Alex said firmly. "How does the Arbitrator's office deal with violations of Article Seventy-two? What is the punishment?"
"Imprisonment," rang a voice from the back of the hall, "and expulsion from the local and national chapters, for starters. Execution is also a possibility, pending a vote of the chapter's president and senior leadership. That's the punishment." Jessop's voice was loud and clear as he walked into the center of the room, limping and leaning heavily on Oscar.
Alex's smile faded. "I formally accuse Todd Petrie of violations of Article Seventy-two," he said, speaking loudly and clearly. "He detained and tortured Jessop Clifton and Oscar Steadman, and he kidnapped Debbie Stonehill. On his authority, Ava Holt and her men invaded Clark Fairfax's home and threatened Rufus Clifton, William Palmer, and other members of the Baltimore chapter. I think we should take a vote to see what we should do with Todd."
"Agreed," Jessop said.
"Wait—" Kenneth said.
"Sorry, Kenneth," Alex said, cutting him off. "This is an internal matter, so you don't have the standing to object." He looked around the banquet hall. "Members, what should the punishment be?"
"Now, hold on—" Kenneth said, beginning to panic.
"Death," said Oscar.
"Death," repeated Jessop.
"Death," said another voice from the back of the room. And another. And another. The entire banquet hall shook with the voices of the Baltimore chapter in unison. "Death," they called.
Kenneth was apoplectic. "You wouldn't dare," he roared.
Alex reached over and plucked the phone from the man in black's hand. He grinned at the camera and aimed it at Todd's body, still lying crumpled on the floor.
On the monitors, Kenneth's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Todd?" he whispered, overwhelmed with disbelief, grief, and rage.
One of the guards took advantage of the spectacle. From his spot on the floor, he grabbed at his fallen sword and lunged at Alex. But even if he had managed to get a decent grip on his sword, it wouldn't have done him any good—in one fluid motion, Oscar stuck out a foot and tripped him, sending him sprawling to the floor.
"I have Jacob to deal with next," Alex said. "But we'll talk soon, Kenneth. You're still on my list." Then he ended the call before Kenneth could respond.
Jessop had the banquet guests detained, and the Baltimore Martial Arts Association got to work clearing the broken furniture and removing the bodies of Kenneth's men.
Debbie was taken to a guest room to rest. She was uninjured, but Alex would never forget the look of fear in her eyes, and he couldn't relax until she had fallen asleep. He wished he could bring Todd back to life just to kill him again for upsetting her.
He wasn't worried about Kenneth. After today, he thought, it's probably safe to say we're not going to reconcile with the Arbitrator's office. He and his people had killed some of Kenneth's men, and there would be no coming back from that. He didn't even waste time wondering how the national chapter would react. After all, he had enough to deal with.