Chapter 7: The Man Behind the Door
The door handle stopped moving.
For one second, nobody breathed.
The entire room was frozen between two moments.
The moment before something terrible happened.
And the moment after.
Razor pushed me farther behind the concrete wall.
"Stay down.""
I wanted to argue.
I wanted to tell him I wasn't a child.
But the fear in his eyes stopped me.
Because this wasn't about protecting my pride.
This was about survival.
The men in the room moved silently.
No shouting.
No panic.
Just years of experience taking over.
The footsteps outside continued.
Slow.
Heavy.
Confident.
Whoever was standing there wasn't afraid.
They knew exactly where they were.
Marcus stood near the back wall, staring at the door.
His face had lost all color.
"You know who it is," Razor whispered.
Marcus didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Razor's expression hardened.
"Who?""
Marcus looked at him.
"The person who killed Daniel.""
The words hit like a punch.
Nobody moved.
Then the door suddenly opened.
A man stepped inside.
He wasn't what I expected.
I expected someone terrifying.
Someone who looked like a villain.
Instead, he looked ordinary.
Gray hair.
Expensive jacket.
Calm expression.
The kind of man people trusted immediately.
And that made him even more dangerous.
Because I had learned something.
The worst people didn't always look dangerous.
Sometimes they looked like friends.
Razor stared at him.
"Victor.""
The man smiled slightly.
"Jason.""
Nobody called Razor by his real name.
Not anymore.
Hearing it from this man felt wrong.
Like someone opening an old wound.
Victor looked around the room.
His eyes landed on Marcus.
Then on me.
Then on the jacket.
His smile disappeared.
"So Daniel really did leave something behind.""
I felt my hands tighten.
"You knew my father?""
Victor looked at me.
"Better than you ever did.""
The sentence made my chest hurt.
Before I could respond, Razor stepped forward.
"Why are you here?""
Victor sighed.
"Because this has gone on long enough.""
"You mean your lies.""
Victor ignored him.
He looked at Marcus.
"You should have stayed gone.""
Marcus laughed quietly.
"And you should have finished the job eleven years ago.""
The room went silent.
My heart started racing.
Finished the job.
Those words confirmed what everyone already suspected.
Victor wasn't just connected.
He was involved.
"You killed him," Razor said.
Victor looked almost disappointed.
"Daniel was always too curious.""
My stomach dropped.
"Why?""
Victor looked at me.
"Because your father thought the truth mattered more than loyalty.""
I stepped forward before Razor stopped me.
"You took him from me.""
Victor studied my face.
For a moment, something almost like regret appeared.
Almost.
"Your father made a choice.""
"No.""
My voice shook.
"He made the choice to protect people.""
Victor smiled sadly.
"That's what made him dangerous.""
The room became silent.
Then Marcus moved.
Fast.
He grabbed a metal object from the table and threw it toward the lights.
Everything went dark.
The room exploded into movement.
People shouted.
Footsteps slammed against the floor.
I felt Razor grab my arm.
"Move!""
We ran.
I couldn't see anything.
Only hear.
The crash of furniture.
The sound of fighting.
Voices yelling.
Then we reached the back exit.
Cold air hit my face.
We stumbled outside.
The motorcycles were still parked there.
But something was wrong.
One bike had been damaged.
The fuel line had been cut.
Someone had been preparing for this.
Victor had not come alone.
Razor looked back toward the building.
"Where's Marcus?""
Nobody answered.
Because Marcus was still inside.
I grabbed Razor's arm.
"We have to go back.""
He looked at me.
"No.""
"But he knows the truth.""
Razor shook his head.
"Emily, listen to me.""
His voice softened.
"Your father spent his last moments trying to keep people alive.""
He looked toward the building.
"We don't honor him by dying with him.""
A loud noise came from inside.
Then silence.
Too much silence.
Seconds later, Marcus appeared through the back door.
He was bleeding.
But alive.
Razor immediately helped him.
"Where's Victor?""
Marcus looked toward the darkness.
"He left.""
"Why?""
Marcus looked at me.
"Because he wasn't here to kill us.""
A chill ran through me.
"Then why was he here?""
Marcus stared at my father's jacket.
"He wanted something.""
"What?""
Marcus took a breath.
"The one thing your father hid better than anything.""
May you like
I waited.
"The evidence proving who Victor really is.""
