Chapter 7 - THE GAVEL FALLS
Derek Bennett sat at the polished mahogany bar of his upscale penthouse, staring at the amber liquid in his crystal glass. He checked his gold Rolex. 3:00 AM.
It was done. By now, the temperature would have finalized everything. He felt a fleeting twinge of guilt, quickly swallowed by the overwhelming relief of knowing the Russian debt collectors wouldn't break his kneecaps tomorrow. The insurance payout would clear his debts, leave him with millions, and he could finally start fresh, unburdened by a needy wife and screaming infants.
He practiced his devastated face in the mirror behind the bar. I don't understand, officer. We were doing inventory. I thought she went home. Oh, god, my wife!
He smiled. It was perfect.
The heavy oak doors of his penthouse didn't just knock; they violently exploded inward, splintering off their hinges under the force of a tactical battering ram.
Derek shrieked, dropping his glass as a dozen heavily armed SWAT officers flooded the room, laser sights dancing across his chest.
"Detroit Police! Get on the ground! Face down, hands behind your head!"
"What is the meaning of this?!" Derek screamed, his carefully constructed facade crumbling into pathetic panic as he was slammed onto the imported rug. "I'm a respected businessman! You have no right!"
Through the phalanx of armored officers, a tall figure walked slowly into the penthouse. Derek’s eyes widened in sheer terror as he looked up from the floor.
Julian Vance looked like an avenging angel of death. He was still wearing his blood-stained dress shirt, his eyes hollow and merciless.
"Julian?" Derek sputtered, tasting blood from his split lip. "What are you doing here? They can't do this!"
Julian crouched down, his face inches from Derek’s trembling, pathetic visage.
"Grace is alive," Julian whispered, and the words struck Derek like a physical blow. The color drained entirely from his face. "The twins are alive. And you, Derek? You are entirely, completely, unequivocally destroyed."
Julian stood up, adjusting his cuffs with terrifying calm. "I gave them the ledgers, Derek. Not just tonight. The embezzlement from three years ago. The fraud. The tax evasion. They aren't just locking you up for attempted murder. You are going to a federal supermax, and the men you owe money to will be waiting for you."
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Derek began to sob, a high-pitched, mewling sound of absolute defeat. "Julian, please! We were partners! I'm sorry!"
"Take this piece of trash out of my sight," Julian said to the police captain, turning his back as Derek was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the penthouse.
