POV: Jake
The office door creaked open, and I stepped inside with my team right behind me. The room was dimly lit, the only sound the hum of a fluorescent light above. Victor Stern stood at the far end, pacing back and forth with his phone pressed to his ear, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
For a moment, I just watched him, sizing him up. He wasn't much a small time criminal who had managed to weasel his way into Marcus's network, but he had become critical to the operation. He moved Marcus's money, kept it hidden, and funneled it where it needed to go. Taking him out would be a serious blow to Marcus's financial infrastructure.
Victor turned, his eyes going wide as he finally saw us. The phone slipped from his hand, clattering onto the desk. He stumbled back, his hands raised defensively. "Wait... What is this? Who the hell are you?"
I stepped forward, my gun steady in my hand. "We're the end of the line for you, Victor."
He swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the door, calculating his chances of escape. But there was nowhere to go. He was trapped, and he knew it.
"Please," he stammered, backing up until he hit the wall. "You don't understand... I'm just the middleman. I don't know anything, I swear!"
I didn't believe him for a second. Men like Victor always knew more than they let on. And tonight, I was going to get every ounce of information I needed.
"You work for Marcus Hall," I said coldly, moving closer. "You handle his money. You know exactly how his operation works, and tonight, you're going to tell me everything."
Victor shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. "No... no, I can't. If Marcus finds out I've talked..."
"He won't get the chance to find out," I cut in, my voice hard. "Unless you want to end up dead tonight, you'll talk."
Victor's face went pale, and for a moment, I thought he was going to faint. But then he nodded, his eyes darting between me and the rest of my team. "Okay... okay, I'll talk. Just... don't kill me."
I didn't lower my gun, but I gave him a small nod. "Start talking."
POV: Emily
While Jake was taking down Victor Stern, I was leading my team across town, heading for another one of Marcus's key players. We moved through the dark streets in silence, our plan set, our target in sight.
I couldn't shake the nerves that had settled in my stomach, the weight of what we were doing pressing down on me. This was our move,our chance to weaken Marcus from the inside. But we had to be perfect. One wrong step, and it could all fall apart.
We reached the target's office building a small, discreet building tucked away in a quiet part of the city. Inside was "Daniel Cross", Marcus's legal fixer. He was the one who handled all of Marcus's legal messes, made sure the police never got too close, and kept Marcus's name out of the papers.
Taking him out would be like cutting Marcus's safety net in half.
I signaled to my team, and we moved toward the entrance. My heart pounded as we reached the door. This was it. We had to get in, get the information we needed, and get out before anyone knew what was happening.
The door clicked open, and we slipped inside. The building was eerily quiet, the dim light from the overhead fixtures casting long shadows across the walls. I could hear my own heartbeat, my breath coming in shallow, controlled bursts as we made our way down the hall.
Daniel's office was just ahead, and I could see the light spilling out from under the door. He was in there, completely unaware that we were about to turn his world upside down.
I stepped up to the door, my hand resting on the handle. For a moment, I hesitated, the weight of everything hitting me at once. This was real. We were stepping into Marcus's world, tearing down the walls he'd built around himself. And once we did, there would be no going back.
But I wasn't afraid. Not anymore.
I pushed open the door, my team moving in behind me.
POV: Jake
Victor was sweating now, his hands shaking as he rattled off names, account numbers, and locations. I could see the panic in his eyes, the realization that he was in way over his head.
"You've got it all," he said, his voice trembling. "That's everything I know. Please... let me go."
I glanced at the notes one of my men had been taking, making sure we had everything we needed. It was solid intel more than enough to cripple Marcus's financial network.
"Not yet," I said, stepping closer to Victor. "What about Carter? What has Marcus told him?"
Victor's eyes widened, and he stammered, clearly caught off guard. "Carter? I... I don't know much. Marcus doesn't trust him fully. But... he's keeping him close. Watching him."
I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. So Carter was still in play, but Marcus hadn't fully brought him into the fold. That was good news. It meant there was still a chance to stay ahead of whatever Carter was feeding Marcus.
"Good," I said, holstering my gun. "You've been very helpful, Victor."
Victor let out a shaky breath, relief washing over his face. "So... you're letting me go?"
I didn't answer. I just looked at one of my men and gave a small nod. A moment later, Victor was knocked out cold, his body crumpling to the floor.
"We need to move," I said to my team. "Get the intel back to base. Marcus is going to realize what's happening soon, and we need to stay ahead of him."
We moved quickly, slipping out of the building and back into the night. The city was still, but I could feel the tension building. This was only the beginning.
POV: Emily
The door to Daniel Cross's office swung open, and there he was sitting at his desk, typing furiously on his computer. He didn't even notice us at first, too absorbed in whatever legal mess he was cleaning up for Marcus.
But then he looked up, his eyes going wide as he realized what was happening.
"Who are you?" he demanded, standing up from his desk.
I stepped forward, my gun pointed directly at him. "You work for Marcus Hall. And tonight, you're going to tell us everything you know."
Daniel's face paled, but unlike Victor, he didn't back down immediately. He straightened his tie, trying to regain some semblance of control. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
"I know exactly who I'm dealing with," I said coldly. "And you're going to help us bring him down. Or you'll end up just like the rest of his men."
He hesitated, clearly weighing his options. But he wasn't stupid. He knew we had the upper hand.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, his voice tight with fear.
I felt a surge of satisfaction as I stepped closer. "Everything."