Chapter 11
1131 Words
The news hit before sunrise. Every channel ran the same shot of the Secretary of Defense standing behind a thick black podium. The flag behind him hung stiff and heavy. The press lights turned his suit collar pale with sweat. He didn’t wipe it. The world could see how stressed he was.
He cleared his throat, leaned toward the mic. His voice stayed smooth but tight at the corners.
“Early this morning, a federal transport carrying convicted killer Alister Hale was attacked by an organized unit. The attackers wore black masks painted with white question marks. This matches the symbol used by Anonymous, an international crime syndicate linked to smuggling, weapons, and terror cells overseas and a lot more.”
The press pit roared at that. Cameras clicked. Reporters pushed closer. A reporter near the front shouted, “Secretary, do you have proof Anonymous planned this? Was Hale working for them before Colombia?”
The Secretary pressed his palms on the podium. “We will carry out more investigations and we are sure in due time we will have undeniable evidence. Financial traces, encrypted messages, phone records.Hale may have used the Sombra family’s resources while secretly acting for Anonymous interests. The fact that they risked an armed extraction proves his value to them.”
A woman to his right cut in. “Does this clear Edmund Sombra of wrongdoing?”
The Secretary’s eyes narrowed. “The defense tried to blame Mr Edmund Sombra for these murders. That was always baseless. If Alister Hale was just a pawn, as his lawyer claimed, then why would the world’s most dangerous network tear open a highway to take him back? This confirms Hale worked for them. Not for an innocent businessman who has done nothing but cooperate with our government.”
Another voice rose from the back. “What about the dead guards? What about the families caught in the chase? Who takes responsibility for that?”
He pulled the mic closer. “We will hunt Anonymous. We will hunt Hale. Any citizen who sees them, hears them, shelters them, will be treated as an accomplice to terror. There is no room for hesitation. Anyone with information should come forward now.”
Reporters fired questions over each other but the Secretary stepped back. His aides moved in, blocking the cameras. The lights shut off. The feed cut to static for half a second before the network anchor took over, voice shaking.
Edmund switched the TV off with one slow click. The room fell quiet except for the rain hitting the tall window behind him. He sat back in his wide chair, one hand resting on the polished head of his cane. His eyes stayed locked on Francis, who stood frozen by the door. Ricardo leaned near the fireplace, hands jammed in his pockets.
Edmund’s voice broke the silence. “Congratulations. You let a street rat make fools of all of us.”
Francis pushed off the door, arms wide. “You think this is my fault? You think I drove the van off the road myself?”
“You gave the job to children,” Edmund said. He didn’t raise his voice but every word cracked the air. “You trusted two men and a guard with no spine. Where did Anonymous even come from? And what do they have with Alister? Was he really a spy for them?”
Andrew kicked at the base of the cold fireplace. “It was bound to leak, Father. The trial dragged out too long. The lawyer knew too much. The press started sniffing. Anonymous feeds on noise. We should have buried him when we had him.”
Edmund shifted his cane against the floor. “Your lawyer almost dragged me through the mud. Almost made the jury think I gave the order myself. Now look at what they see instead. Our problem dressed in black masks. The world sees chaos and blames the man in the cage. Not me. So maybe I should thank you.”
He pushed himself forward in the chair. “But I will not. Because now the problem breathes free air. And if he breathes, he remembers. If he remembers, he talks. And if he talks, everything I built rots under his words.”
Francis stepped closer, voice sharp. “We can fix this. We send someone south. We put ears in the ports. Anonymous won’t keep him close forever. When they slip, we take him back and kill him.”
Andrew shook his head. “You think they’ll let him slip? They planned this down to the tire iron and the fuel drop. We are not hunting drunks in an alley. These people use drones. They use aliases. You can’t buy them. You can’t bribe them. They do what they want whenever they want.”
Edmund’s eyes flicked between his sons. He tapped the cane once. “You will try. And you will not fail. If you do, do not come back here. Do not stand at my door with excuses.”
Francis opened his mouth but closed it again. He turned toward the window, fingers drumming his hip. Andrew kept his eyes on the cold ashes in the hearth. Edmund sat back, cane across his lap again, the dark in his eyes deeper than the rain behind him.
Hannah sat alone on her bed, TV still glowing blue across her blanket. She hugged her knees, her phone pressed to her chest. Every few seconds it buzzed with news alerts.
She replayed the same words. Most wanted. Terrorist. Anonymous. She knew better. Alister wasn’t a hero, but he wasn’t what they said either. Something isn’t right.
Her phone buzzed again. A name she hadn’t seen in weeks. She pressed answer.
Her friend, Lucy’s voice cracked through the tiny speaker. “Hannah, are you okay? It’s all over the news. Are you still in the city?”
She forced her voice steady. “I’m fine. It’s not true. He didn’t work for them.”
“Hannah, you should come stay here. Get out of the city. If the police start asking questions”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t. I have to stay. If he’s alive, he’ll need help. If they have him, he’ll need someone left here who knows the truth.”
A long silence. Lucy whispered, “You always cared too much for him.”
Hannah opened her eyes. Her fingers dug into the phone so hard her knuckles went white. “Someone has to.”
She ended the call before she heard another word. She tossed the phone on the blanket and stared at the empty wall across from her bed. The folder in her closet waited. The only piece of Alister that might save him.
- Writer
