Elias, recovering his senses with terrifying speed, turned his gun toward the doorway. He didn't even get a shot off. Two sharp, suppressed cracks echoed through the room, and Elias collapsed to the floor, his weapon skittering away across the carpet.
The lights in the office snapped on.
Agent Marcus Vance stepped through the broken doorway, his sidearm still raised. He looked down at the bleeding hitman, then holstered his weapon and rushed over to where Tessa and Walter were huddled on the floor.
"Are you hit?" Vance demanded, pulling Tessa to her feet.
"No. We're okay," Tessa coughed, waving the smoke away from her face. "You cut it pretty close, Marcus."
"You told me to wait an hour. I waited forty-five minutes. I don't follow instructions well," Vance said, a tight, relieved smile crossing his face. He looked at the laptop screen, which was still rapidly scrolling through confirmation receipts of the data dump. "Tell me you didn't just hack a federal trust."
"I didn't touch the trust," Tessa said, dusting off her coat. "I just took the syndicate's master playbook and open-sourced it to the entire world. Their money is useless now. Their accounts are burned."
Vance let out a low whistle, staring at the screen. "You just dismantled a multibillion-dollar international cartel with a fake loading bar and an internet connection."
"I’m an accountant," Tessa shrugged, wrapping her arm tightly around her uncle Walter, who was finally beginning to stop shaking. "We don't like it when the math doesn't add up."
As the paramedics rushed into the room to secure the wounded hitman, Tessa looked out the shattered window. The snow was still falling over Oak Hollow, quiet and steady. The town had been a battlefield twice now, caught in the crossfire of men who believed power and money made them untouchable.
But looking out at the peaceful streets below, Tessa knew the truth. Power wasn't found in a badge, and it wasn't hidden in offshore bank accounts. Power was standing your ground when the monsters came to your door, and refusing to let them write the final line of the ledger.
She turned away from the window, ready to go home. The books were finally closed.
"No. We're okay," Tessa coughed, waving the smoke away from her face. "You cut it pretty close, Marcus."
"You told me to wait an hour. I waited forty-five minutes. I don't follow instructions well," Vance said, a tight, relieved smile crossing his face. He looked at the laptop screen, which was still rapidly scrolling through confirmation receipts of the data dump. "Tell me you didn't just hack a federal trust."
"I didn't touch the trust," Tessa said, dusting off her coat. "I just took the syndicate's master playbook and open-sourced it to the entire world. Their money is useless now. Their accounts are burned."
Vance let out a low whistle, staring at the screen. "You just dismantled a multibillion-dollar international cartel with a fake loading bar and an internet connection."
"I’m an accountant," Tessa shrugged, wrapping her arm tightly around her uncle Walter, who was finally beginning to stop shaking. "We don't like it when the math doesn't add up."
As the paramedics rushed into the room to secure the wounded hitman, Tessa looked out the shattered window. The snow was still falling over Oak Hollow, quiet and steady. The town had been a battlefield twice now, caught in the crossfire of men who believed power and money made them untouchable.
But looking out at the peaceful streets below, Tessa knew the truth. Power wasn't found in a badge, and it wasn't hidden in offshore bank accounts. Power was standing your ground when the monsters came to your door, and refusing to let them write the final line of the ledger.
She turned away from the window, ready to go home. The books were finally closed.
"No. We're okay," Tessa coughed, waving the smoke away from her face. "You cut it pretty close, Marcus."
"You told me to wait an hour. I waited forty-five minutes. I don't follow instructions well," Vance said, a tight, relieved smile crossing his face. He looked at the laptop screen, which was still rapidly scrolling through confirmation receipts of the data dump. "Tell me you didn't just hack a federal trust."
"I didn't touch the trust," Tessa said, dusting off her coat. "I just took the syndicate's master playbook and open-sourced it to the entire world. Their money is useless now. Their accounts are burned."
Vance let out a low whistle, staring at the screen. "You just dismantled a multibillion-dollar international cartel with a fake loading bar and an internet connection."
"I’m an accountant," Tessa shrugged, wrapping her arm tightly around her uncle Walter, who was finally beginning to stop shaking. "We don't like it when the math doesn't add up."
As the paramedics rushed into the room to secure the wounded hitman, Tessa looked out the shattered window. The snow was still falling over Oak Hollow, quiet and steady. The town had been a battlefield twice now, caught in the crossfire of men who believed power and money made them untouchable.
But looking out at the peaceful streets below, Tessa knew the truth. Power wasn't found in a badge, and it wasn't hidden in offshore bank accounts. Power was standing your ground when the monsters came to your door, and refusing to let them write the final line of the ledger.
She turned away from the window, ready to go home. The books were finally closed.
As the paramedics rushed into the room to secure the wounded hitman, Tessa looked out the shattered window. The snow was still falling over Oak Hollow, quiet and steady. The town had been a battlefield twice now, caught in the crossfire of men who believed power and money made them untouchable.
But looking out at the peaceful streets below, Tessa knew the truth. Power wasn't found in a badge, and it wasn't hidden in offshore bank accounts. Power was standing your ground when the monsters came to your door, and refusing to let them write the final line of the ledger.
She turned away from the window, ready to go home. The books were finally closed.