The footsteps grew louder.
Victor grabbed Elijah and pushed him toward the door. "Move!"
Julius peeked out, then cursed. "Two guards, armed."
Anita scanned the office. "We need another way out."
Elijah pointed to the window. "There's a maintenance ladder outside."
Julius yanked it open. The cold night air rushed in. "Go, go!"
Elijah climbed out first, gripping the ladder tightly. Anita followed, then Victor.
Just as Julius stepped onto the ledge...
The office door burst open.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Gunfire erupted as Julius dove out, gripping the ladder as bullets whizzed past.
Victor's heart pounded. "Faster!"
As they reached the ground, a black SUV screeched to a stop in front of them. The driver's door flung open.
It was Joseph's man.
And he had a gun aimed right at them.
The gunman smirked. "You really thought you'd just walk away?"
Julius tightened his grip on his own weapon, but the gunman shook his head. "Try it, and I'll drop one of you before you even blink."
Victor's mind raced. The flash drive with Joseph's records was in his pocket, evidence that could destroy everything Joseph had built.
And Joseph knew it.
Then...
'Screech!'
Another car skidded onto the scene. Headlights blinded the gunman.
A loud 'crack' a single shot.
The gunman stumbled, clutching his shoulder.
Anita yanked Victor into the car. Julius and Elijah followed.
As the car sped off, Victor turned to their driver, one of Anita's trusted contacts.
"We need to disappear," Victor said. "For now."
Julius exhaled. "And then?"
Victor clenched his jaw.
"Then we take Joseph down."
----
The safehouse was quiet. Too quiet.
Victor plugged the flash drive into a laptop.
Anita and Julius leaned in as files popped up, bank transactions, offshore accounts, payments to government officials.
Julius whistled. "This is enough to bury him."
Elijah nodded. "If it gets to the right people."
Victor's stomach tightened. "That's the problem. Joseph has judges, police, and politicians in his pocket."
Anita frowned. "Then we take it higher. National agencies. The press."
Victor hesitated. "If we go public, Joseph won't just fight back, he'll try to kill us all."
Julius crossed his arms. "He's already trying."
Elijah leaned forward. "So what's the move?"
Victor stared at the screen. The evidence was powerful but only if they survived long enough to use it.
He had one shot to get this right.
Victor stared at the screen, the weight of the decision pressing down on him.
The evidence in his hands could destroy Joseph's empire. But how he released it would determine whether he survived the fallout.
Anita crossed her arms. "We need to act fast. The longer we wait, the more time Joseph has to clean this up."
Elijah nodded. "We leak it to the press. Let the world see it."
Julius shook his head. "Not just the press. We need law enforcement, too. If we don't back this up with legal pressure, Joseph will spin it as fake news."
Victor exhaled. He turned to Anita. "How fast can you get this to your media contacts?"
She pulled out her phone. "By morning, it'll be on every major station."
Victor looked at Julius. "And the law?"
Julius smirked. "I have a friend in the Anti-Corruption Commission. If we give him solid proof, he'll push for an immediate investigation."
Victor nodded. "Then let's do it."
But deep inside, he knew...
Joseph wouldn't go down without a fight.
---
The news broke at dawn.
Television screens across the county flashed images of the leaked documents.
"A massive corruption scandal has rocked the county, exposing Governor Joseph Mwangangi's deep financial ties to criminal enterprises."
Within hours, public outrage erupted. Citizens demanded Joseph's resignation. Law enforcement agencies launched preliminary investigations.
But then, Joseph struck back.
An emergency press conference was called. Joseph stood before the cameras, calm and collected.
"This is nothing more than a desperate attempt by my enemies to tarnish my name," he declared. "Governor Nyagah has fabricated these lies to cover up his own failures."
A journalist raised a hand. "Sir, are you denying the allegations?"
Joseph smiled coldly. "Absolutely. And to prove it, I'm calling for an independent audit of my government. I have nothing to hide."
Victor watched from the safehouse, his fists clenched.
Julius muttered, "He's playing the victim. Buying time."
Anita's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and paled. "It's worse than that. He just ordered your arrest, Victor."
Victor's breath caught. "On what charges?"
"Fraud. Conspiracy. Corruption." She looked up. "They're framing you."
Elijah cursed. "This was his plan all along."
Julius grabbed a gun. "We need to move. Now."
The war had officially begun.
---
Victor barely had time to process what was happening before sirens blared in the distance.
"They're coming," Julius said, grabbing a duffel bag of supplies. "We have to go."
Victor turned to Anita. "Where's the safest place to hide?"
She frowned. "Nowhere. Joseph controls the county police. If they catch you, they won't take you to a station. They'll take you somewhere you won't come back from."
Elijah's hands trembled. "We should leave the county."
Victor shook his head. "No. If I run, I look guilty. We need a different plan."
Julius cursed under his breath. "We don't have time to think."
A knock on the door made them all freeze.
Then a voice.
"Victor. It's me. Open up."
It was someone they didn't expect.
And trusting them could mean the difference between survival and death.
----