CHAPTER 52: THEY STARTED IT. WE’LL FINISH IT

George Agnew stood in his office with his phone pressed to his ear. The tone of his voice was low and cautious...

"I’m so sorry, sir," he said quietly. "Truly. I didn’t mean for things to go this way."

But the voice on the other end wasn’t having it.

Henry Ashford. A man whose influence reached deep into places most wouldn’t dare go.

"Sorry?" Ashford’s voice thundered through the phone. "This is exactly what you and Raymond did the last time. The same careless, sloppy moves that made me have to step in and clean your mess."

George winced. He hated being scolded, but there was nothing he could say to defend himself. Not now.

"You think I have time to keep putting out the fires you light?" Ashford continued. "You’re circling the same mistakes, George. Is that man really so difficult for you to handle? Or must I do everything myself?"

George closed his eyes and swallowed hard. His throat was dry. He looked out the window of his high-rise office, searching for words, any words, that would calm the storm brewing on the other end of the call.

"No, sir. I understand," he said, steadying his voice. "I really do. Raymond gave us all a scar... I admit that. But this time... this time, I have a plan. A clean one. No noise, no mistakes. We’ll take him out slowly, carefully. I promise."

Ashford was silent for a moment. Then he laughed, a cold, disappointed laugh.

"You always have a plan, George," he said bitterly. "That’s all you’ve ever had. Plans. Promises. Excuses. How long have you been feeding me the same old story? And what has worked? Nothing."

George gritted his teeth. The words stung, but they weren’t lies. He had failed too many times. He had tried to manage Raymond, control him, destroy him, and yet, the man always managed to slip through their grip.

"This time is different," George said quickly. "I know where his strength lies, and how to break it. This plan... I’m telling you, it will work."

Ashford’s voice cut through his confidence like a knife.

"It’s better," he said. "Because if this one fails too... I’m not just pulling the plug. I’ll come in myself. And when I do, George, I won’t just deal with him. I’ll deal with you. And with Raymond. I’ll put both of you down. Personally."

The threat wasn’t loud. It wasn’t shouted. But it was so calm... so precise... that it sent a chill down George’s spine.

Click... The call ended.

George slowly lowered the phone from his ear, his hand trembling slightly. He stood there in silence, the weight of Ashford’s words sinking into his chest like stone.

He knew one thing for sure, he was running out of time.

This plan had to work.

Because next time... there wouldn’t be another warning.

"..."

The face of George was burning with frustration, he clenched his jaw so tight that it ached. He turned sharply, and landed his eyes on the one person still in the room, David.

David stood quietly in the corner, barely holding himself up. His left arm was in a sling, and a thick bandage wrapped around his head, from the gunshot wound he’d taken just weeks ago. His face was pale and worn out, but he didn’t dare sit or lean. Not with the way George was looking at him.

George’s voice came out low and bitter, each word like acid.

"I won’t trash you right now," he said, stepping forward. "But only because you barely made it out alive. That’s the only thing saving you right now."

David didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His lips were dry, and he felt the weight of guilt pressing on his chest. He knew what was coming.

George continued. "I told you to guard that warehouse like your life depended on it! I said bring every damn man you can find. Flood the place with guards. And what did you do?" He pointed an accusing finger. "You gave me a shallow defense, a joke!"

David swallowed hard, eyes on the floor. "I’m sorry, sir," he said softly. "They planned it well. We didn’t see it coming. They were careful. Really careful. They got us."

George scoffed and walked away, running a hand through his hair as he paced the room like a man with fire under his feet. "I don’t care how careful they were! That’s your job, to see it coming. That’s why I trusted you to lead the security. And now look!" He pointed at David’s bandaged head. "They got you too!"

There was silence for a few seconds.

Then George stopped pacing. His tone shifted, and he became much calmer now.

"I’m going to give it back to them," he said. "Not double. Not triple. Tenfold."

David slowly looked up, eyes hardening despite the pain.

George walked over to the window, staring out as if he could already see the revenge unfolding in his mind. "They think they’ve won something. That they’ve dealt a blow we can’t recover from. But this is just the beginning. I’ll make them pay for what they did.

Then he turned around. "Call Philip," he said.

David blinked. "Philip?"

"Yes," George nodded. "I gave him a job, and now it’s time he starts. I told Ashford I already have a plan in motion. The truth is, we’ve got nothing going yet. But we will. And fast. We can’t afford another mistake, not now."

David nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

George took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside him. "I want Philip to start working on Raymond. I want him to dig into every inch of that man’s life. We have to find a way to bring him down. For good."

David’s eyes drifted to the thick bandage on his hand. He flexed his fingers, though it stung like hell.

"I’ll make sure of it, sir," he said quietly, his voice steadier now. "I won’t stop. I’ll fight through this pain. Raymond, and every single person who helped him... they’ll pay for what they did."

George looked at him, and for the first time that day, gave a small nod of approval. "Good," he said.

"..."