CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27

The heavy thud of the Rusty Anchor’s front door seemed to echo long after Deke had disappeared into the night. Ace remained standing beside the worn bar counter, his grip tightening around the small black recorder, it was still warm from recent use. The weight he felt was heavier than just the plastic device in his hand it was the burden of the damning words it held, chilling proof of everything Silva had feared and more.

Silva leaned heavily against the sticky surface of the bar, his face ghostly pale under the flickering dim lights. Sweat glistened on his forehead, sliding slowly down his temple. With a shaky hand, he wiped at his brow, but his eyes never left Ace, reflecting a turbulent mix of disbelief, fragile hope and the lingering shadows of fear. "You really got him" Silva breathed out, his voice was rough and low, almost like he was trying to convince himself as much as Ace. "Every rotten, filthy word he muttered... it’s all there right?"

"Yeah" Ace confirmed quietly, his voice steadier now, carrying a new resolve beneath the exhaustion. He carefully pulled the tiny SD card free from the recorder’s tight grip. The slim piece of plastic and metal felt insignificant, almost fragile, yet it contained the poison that could bring Deke’s whole operation crashing down. Ace carefully slid the card into the small inner pocket of his jeans and zipped it closed to keep it safe. Then he tucked the recorder into his worn jacket.

Ace murmured to himself, almost inaudible "This is it." He pressed his lips together before continuing. "Proof that he can’t talk his way out of this."

Silva pushed himself upright from the bar, his knuckles white and trembling where they gripped the worn edge tightly as if anchoring himself to something solid in the midst of chaos. His pale face was drawn and lined with exhaustion. His eyes were heavy but it was flickering with a fragile hope, a hope that was quickly clouded by a shadow of doubt.

"So what happens now?" Silva asked, his voice hoarse, strained almost to the breaking point, like he desperately searched for any glimpse of a way out. "You take that to the cops?" He swallowed hard, chewing over the words before continuing in a quieter, more wary tone. "Cops around here... they don’t always rush when it comes to guys like Deke or Ramos. You know how it is. Sometimes they look the other way or take their sweet time. I’ve seen it before." His eyes flicked away for a moment, the weight of past disappointments flashing across his face.

Ace shook his head slowly, the gravity of their situation settling heavier on his shoulders. The idea of handing over such dangerous proof to the police felt like tossing a match into a room full of gas — too slow, too uncertain, and possibly deadly for them both. A dull relentless throb echoed in the back of his mind, the System’s clock ticking down: Gather proof in ten days. He already had the proof now but raw evidence alone wasn’t leverage—it was just a starting point on a perilous road ahead.

Silva frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to understand. "Where he’s weakest?" he repeated, his voice low and filled with doubt. "The guy’s got tough guys around him, muscle for days and a mean streak a mile wide.

He doesn’t just hurt people for fun. He’s got backup, enforcers who don’t hesitate to break bones. How do you take down someone like that?"

Ace met Silva’s gaze steadily, locking eyes with a quiet intensity that brooked no argument. "His debt," he stated firmly. "His real weakness isn’t his strength or his threats, it’s the money he owes to Victor Ramos."

He paused, letting the words settle between them.

Deke’s desperate because Ramos is squeezing him tight, like a noose. If Ramos finds out that instead of paying back what he owes, Deke’s been stealing from people like you to get extra money—taking more than he owes—he’ll be in even deeper trouble."

Understanding slowly dawned on Silva’s face. His eyes widened slightly before narrowing with a growing grimness. A bitter, almost grim smile twisted at the corners of his mouth. "Oh hell," he muttered darkly, voice low and edged with a hard truth. "Ramos wouldn’t like that. Not one bit. He’d see it as Deke stealing from him—pocketing money that’s rightfully his."

He shook his head, the smile fading as the weight of their situation sank in. "That kind of betrayal... in this world?" Silva’s voice dropped further, heavy with unspoken consequences. "It makes enemies fast. Deke’s already walking a thin line—and if Ramos hears about this, it’s not just going to be tense. It’ll be a war."

Ace met Silva’s gaze steadily. "Exactly" he said, his voice calm but firm.

"We don’t just give Ramos the recording and hope for the best. We make sure Deke knows Ramos has it. We want him to feel the pressure every day, wondering when the consequences will come. Maybe that will make him careless enough to make a mistake. Maybe it will make him desperate enough to slip up."

His eyes darkened as he recalled the memory of his workshop being destroyed. "Or maybe" he added quietly, "it just buys us some time to figure out our next move without him on our backs."

Silva nodded slowly, the grim smile widening slightly. "Turn the snake’s own poison against him. I like it. But how? How do you get something like that to Ramos? You can’t just walk up to his door and hand him a recording like you’re some amateur."

Ace’s gaze sharpened as he considered his plan. "I’ve got someone" he said, his confidence quietly growing.

"Her name is Evelyn. She’s sharp and knows how to handle this. She was the one who first discovered the tangled debts between Ramos and Deke. If anyone can deliver this message and the evidence to Ramos safely, without drawing attention, it’s her."

Silva’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope mixed with caution. "An anonymous approach is good" he said with earnest approval. "But Ace, can you trust this person? This kind of work is dangerous. One mistake and it could backfire."

Ace met his worried glance without hesitation. "Yeah. I do trust her" he said firmly, the weight of his conviction clear in his tone. "She’s sharp, resourceful. Knows how to keep things quiet. I wouldn’t be putting this in anyone else’s hands."

Silva let out a long, shaky breath, some of the tension finally leaving his broad shoulders. "Alright, kid. Alright. You’ve got the proof and you’ve got a plan to use it. What do you need from me now?"

"Just keep your head down," Ace said seriously. "Act normal. If Deke shows up next Thursday, you stall him. Tell him you’re scrambling, that business has gone even worse than usual. Buy us time, don’t give him any reason reason to suspect anything happened tonight."

Silva squared his broad shoulders, a flicker of determination flashing in his tired eyes. "I can do that" he said quietly, managing a weak chuckle that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Acting scared and broke around that creep? Yeah, that part comes pretty easy." He looked down for a moment, then back up, voice dropping to a serious, cautioning tone. "But you be careful, Ace. If Deke even sniffs for a second that you were involved in this... well, you know how dangerous that snake can be."

"He won’t" Ace said, though he felt the familiar prickle of danger down his spine. He glanced towards the front door. "I should go. The less time I spend here now, the better."

Silva nodded. "Yeah. Go. And... thanks. For actually doing something." The gratitude in his voice was raw and real.

Ace just gave a curt nod. He didn’t need thanks. He needed Deke off his back and the System off his case. He moved towards the back door, Silva following silently. Silva unlocked the heavy deadbolt and cracked the door open, peering out into the dimly lit alley.

"Coast is clear" Silva whispered.

Ace slipped out into the cool night air. The smell of salt and fish was a welcome change from the bar’s stale atmosphere. He didn’t look back, just melted into the shadows along the alley wall, moving quickly and quietly away from the Rusty Anchor.

He walked briskly, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the docks, sticking to side streets. The adrenaline from the close call in the closet and the success of the recording was fading, replaced by a bone-deep weariness. But beneath the fatigue, a spark of grim triumph burned. He had Deke’s voice. He had the threats. He had leverage.

He needed to see Evelyn. Now.

He reached the familiar, slightly run down block housing the Nite Owl Motel. The familiar flickering neon sign cast long, wavering shadows. He scanned the parking lot there was no unfamiliar cars, no lurking figures. He kept to the edge of the building, avoiding the pool of light near the manager’s office where Big Mike might be.

His destination was Apartment 2A where Evelyn was staying. He moved silently down the first-floor walkway, the concrete cool under his worn sneakers. He stopped outside her door.

He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying over the cracked screen.

Ace: I’ve got proof on Deke. I need to see you ASAP. I’m outside your door right now?

Evelyn: Okay, come over quickly. The door is unlocked—just be quiet. Mrs. Gable’s got ears like a radar.

Ace glanced towards Apartment 1B, its blinds drawn. He turned the knob on 2A. The door opened silently. He slipped inside and pushed it gently closed, the latch clicking softly.

Evelyn’s apartment was small but meticulously organized, a stark contrast to Ace’s sparse motel room. Textbooks and medical journals were stacked neatly on a small desk beside a laptop. The air smelled faintly of coffee and antiseptic wipes. Evelyn stood up from a worn armchair near the window he’d fixed, her eyes wide and alert, her usual sarcasm replaced by intense curiosity. She wore comfortable sweats, her dark hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.

"Ace?" she asked, her voice low, barely above a whisper. She pointedly glanced towards the shared wall with 1B. "You okay? What happened? You said you have got proof..."

Ace leaned back against the closed door, taking a moment to catch his breath. The familiar, comforting scent of her space filled his lungs. He reached into his jeans pocket and carefully extracted the small SD card, holding it up between his thumb and forefinger. It caught the light from her desk lamp.

"It’s all here, Evelyn" Ace said, his voice rough but steady. He held up a small SD card, catching the dim light. "Deke was at the Rusty Anchor tonight. He demanded protection money from Silva and threatened him." He paused, swallowing hard. "He even mentioned Ramos by name. Said Ramos is tightening his grip. And he’s demanding more money next week. All of it’s on this recording." Ace met Evelyn’s gaze. "Silva helped me set the trap. We planned it carefully. And this time, we caught him"