Chapter 6 - The Broken Link
Michael didn’t sleep that night. At 5:00 AM, he slipped out of the mansion, leaving a note for Ashley saying he had an early corporate meeting. Instead, he met David in a dimly lit diner on the outskirts of Atlanta.
“Marcus Vance is a creature of habit,” David said, sliding a folder across the table. “He spends his mornings at an underground boxing gym in the industrial district. He’s deeply in debt to some dangerous people. Ashley has been keeping him on a leash by paying off his gambling markers.”
“Let’s go,” Michael said, his eyes cold.
An hour later, Michael and David walked into the gritty, sweat-scented boxing gym. The sounds of leather hitting punchbags echoed off the concrete walls. Marcus Vance, a burly man with a scarred face and a cynical smile, was wrapping his hands near the back ring.
When he saw David and Michael approaching, his posture immediately hardened. He reached toward his gym bag, but David was faster, stepping forward and placing a heavy hand on Vance’s shoulder, subtly revealing the holster beneath his jacket.
“Don’t do it, Marcus,” David said quietly. “We just want to talk.”
Vance looked at David, then at Michael. He let out a harsh laugh. “Michael Carter. The billionaire cuckold. Come to complain about the photography work?”
Michael lost his temper. He lunged forward, grabbing Vance by the collar of his shirt and slamming him against the concrete pillar. The few boxers in the gym stopped to watch, but David flashed a federal badge—a relic from his past—and signaled for them to mind their own business.
“You ruined my life,” Michael growled into Vance’s face. “You took money from Ashley Bennett to fabricate photos of my wife. You framed an innocent woman and left my children to grow up in a shelter. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t break your neck right now.”
Vance choked, his arrogance vanishing as he saw the raw, murderous fury in Michael’s eyes. “Listen, man… it was just a job! Ashley paid me fifty grand to doctor those images. She provided the male model. I just handled the lighting and the angles!”
“I want the original files,” Michael demanded, tightening his grip. “And I want your testimony.”
“I can’t!” Vance stammered, his eyes wide with fear. “If I betray Ashley, her brother will have me killed! You don’t know what they’re capable of, Carter. They aren’t just white-collar criminals. They are tied to some serious people in the shipping docks.”
David stepped closer. “Marcus, if you don’t cooperate with us, I will drop the digital forensic files we have directly onto the District Attorney’s desk by noon. You’ll be looking at fifteen years for extortion, conspiracy, and corporate fraud. In state prison, Ashley’s brother won’t be able to protect you from the inmates you put away when you were a cop.”
May you like
Vance grew pale. He looked between Michael and David, realizing he was trapped between two fires. “Fine,” he spat. “Fine! I kept a backup drive of the raw, unedited photos and the email correspondence from Ashley giving me the instructions. It’s in a safe in my apartment. But you have to protect me. You have to get me out of the city.”
“Get us the drive,” Michael said, releasing him. “Then we’ll talk about your ticket out of town.”
