Chapter 09: The Final Game
The din of the diner faded into a ringing silence in Mason’s ears. The shot from Sophia had thrown the men into disarray, but the danger wasn’t over. Hayes, stunned from being shoved into the counter, quickly regained his composure. His eyes locked with Mason’s, cold and calculating, like a man who knew the inevitable was coming but wasn’t willing to go down without a fight.
Sophia’s voice cut through the tension. “Mason! We need to move—NOW!”
She fired another shot, this one striking the leg of one of the men, sending him crumpling to the floor with a muffled scream. The other man, however, was still standing, eyes wide with fury. He lunged toward her, but Mason intercepted him, tackling him to the ground with a brutal force.
Hayes, however, wasn’t as easily intimidated. He kicked himself free from the counter and sprinted toward the back door. Mason could see the desperation in his eyes—the realization that the walls were closing in on him. He couldn’t afford to let Hayes escape.
Mason wasn’t about to let him get away now, not after everything he’d uncovered.
“Sophia!” Mason shouted, his voice steady despite the rush of adrenaline flooding his system. “Get the car ready—I’ll handle this.”
Sophia hesitated for only a second before nodding and darting out of the diner. She had always been a step ahead, but now, the gravity of the situation was upon them. The car would be their escape route—if they could get out alive.
Mason turned back to Hayes, who was now fumbling with a gun tucked into his waistband. Hayes glanced over his shoulder, his face a mask of defiance. He wasn’t about to go down without trying to take Mason with him.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with, Mason,” Hayes spat, his voice raw with panic. “Fox will bury you. He’ll make sure you’re forgotten—just like everyone else who’s tried to bring him down.”
Mason’s heart raced, but his eyes remained steady, focusing on Hayes’s every move. “Fox isn’t going to save you now, Hayes,” he said, his voice calm, almost pitying. “You’re out of his league.”
Hayes sneered. “You think you’ve won? You’ve just exposed your neck to a predator far worse than me. You’re about to find out what real power is.”
Mason’s instincts kicked into gear. He dove toward Hayes just as the man pulled the gun. The shot missed by inches, slamming into the wall next to Mason’s head, but the sound of the bullet ricocheted through the diner like a thunderclap.
He didn’t hesitate. Mason tackled Hayes to the ground, knocking the gun from his hand. The struggle was frantic, violent. Hayes had a strength that belied his size, but Mason had something Hayes didn’t—determination.
With a swift motion, Mason pinned Hayes’s arms to the floor, his knee pressing down hard on the man’s chest. Hayes wheezed, trying to break free, but Mason’s grip was unrelenting.
“You’re done, Hayes,” Mason said, the words coming out through gritted teeth. “This ends tonight.”
But Hayes wasn’t finished yet. His eyes gleamed with a wild, almost maniacal energy. “You think you’ve won? You’ve just opened the floodgates, Mason. Fox’s network is untouchable. You’ve made your first mistake thinking you could outsmart him.”
Mason shook his head. “Fox’s days are numbered. He’s not going to protect you anymore.”
“Then you’ve truly lost,” Hayes rasped. “You’ve only just scratched the surface. There’s more to this game than you could ever imagine.”
Sophia’s voice rang out from the door. “Mason, we have to go! Now!”
Mason shot Hayes one last look, reading the hatred and fear in his eyes. “It’s over, Hayes. There’s no more running.”
Without another word, he stepped away and rushed toward the door. As he glanced back, he saw Hayes struggling against the handcuffs that now bound him, his face contorted with rage. He wasn’t finished yet, but this was a victory.
Mason was about to reach the door when the final realization hit him. Everything they had uncovered, all the layers of corruption, deceit, and murder—it was only the beginning.
There were still people in power who were willing to protect Fox, people who would stop at nothing to silence those who threatened the empire he had built. But Hayes was their link, and now, with him in custody, Mason had a chance to take them all down.
Sophia was already in the car, the engine running. As Mason slid into the passenger seat, he knew they couldn’t stop here. There was still one final piece to this puzzle—the man at the top, the one who had orchestrated everything.
Fox.
As the car roared to life, Mason’s mind raced. The fight was far from over. They had only just begun to unravel the truth.
The streets blurred as they sped through the city, each passing light a reminder of how close they were to the endgame. But the closer they got to bringing down Fox, the more dangerous it became. People like him didn’t fall easily.
Sophia glanced at Mason. “What’s the next move?”
Mason clenched his jaw, staring out the window at the darkened city. “We go after the man pulling the strings. We find Fox. And we end this.”
The stakes had never been higher.
And Mason knew one thing for certain—no matter how deep the web of lies stretched, he was going to expose every secret. Nothing would stop him from bringing the truth to light.
