Aisha’s gaze flickered. “So what do we do?”
Tanya’s eyes sharpened. “We do what your wife and brother didn’t count on.”
Marcus leaned forward. “Which is?”
Tanya’s voice was low, fierce. “We turn this into a federal case.”
Marcus blinked. “Federal?”
Tanya nodded. “Poisoning crosses lines. Financial crimes cross lines. If your brother bought a captain, there’s bribery. If they’re moving money, there’s fraud. We tie this to the money. We bring in people who don’t answer to Captain Reed.”
Marcus felt a strange, almost painful swell in his chest.
Hope.
Tanya looked at him hard. “But understand this, Mr. Hail. The moment we move, your life changes. You’ll lose control of the narrative. You’ll lose privacy. You’ll lose… comfort.”
Marcus almost laughed, but it wasn’t funny.
“I already lost my comfort,” he said. “It almost killed me.”
Tanya nodded once. “Okay. Then we go.”
7. The Gala Where Truth Wore a Tuxedo
The Hail Foundation’s winter gala was scheduled for the following Friday night.
It was the kind of event that made Atlanta’s wealthy feel like royalty for the price of a ticket.
Crystal chandeliers. Black-tie donors. Cameras hungry for a scandal that glittered.
Veronica had insisted the gala go on “in Marcus’s honor.”
Ryan had insisted on speaking.
Tanya’s plan was simple and brutal:
Let them gather their audience.
Let them step into the spotlight.
Then break the lie where it couldn’t be stitched back together.
Marcus didn’t sleep the night before.
He sat on Aisha’s couch, staring at his hands.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Aisha asked quietly.
Marcus looked up. “Do you?”
Aisha’s eyes held his. “I’ve been sure since the closet.”
He nodded.
He thought of all the times he’d walked into rooms like this gala, confident nothing could touch him.
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