Chapter 412
Chapter 412
They moved down to the lower floor. The corridor leading to the interrogation room was eerily quiet. White lights burned steadily overhead, casting sharp shadows along the walls. In front of the steel door, Arsen stopped.
“Should I come in?” he asked.
Daven shook his head. “No. Stay at the office and keep an eye on any necessary movements. If Bret makes a move, I want to know first p>
Arsen nodded. “Understood, Mr. Daven p>
The door opened.
Oscar sat in the chair, his face pale, a thin bandage still wrapped around his temple. He lifted his head when Daven entered-then froze when he saw Cale behind him.
Cale smiled. It wasn’t friendly. It was the kind of smile that made your stomach churn. “How are you, Oscar p>
Oscar swallowed hard. “H-how are you here p>
Daven frowned. “You know him?” he asked Cale.
Cale shrugged. “At first, I thought it wasn’t the Oscar I knew. Turns out…” He smiled faintly. “The world is small, huh p>
“I-I already talked to Mr. Daven,” Oscar stammered. He shifted in his seat, as if searching for a way out that clearly didn’t exist. With Daven and Cale inside the room—and security stationed outside-escape was impossible.
“I know,” Cale said lightly as he pulled out a chair and sat directly in front of Oscar. “That’s exactly why I’m here p>
Daven leaned against the wall, letting Cale take the lead. He trusted the man with this. Completely.
“You look better,” Cale added. “Which means you still have the energy for one more conversation p>
Oscar shook his head quickly. “I’ve already said everything p>
“Not yet,” Cale replied gently. “You’ve only told us who paid you. That’s not the whole story, Oscar. And you know I don’t like half-truths p>
Oscar fell silent. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Cale. His body trembled with fear.
“What did Bret promise you?” Daven finally asked, taking a seat beside Cale.
Oscar exhaled heavily. “Protection p>
Cale let out a soft chuckle. “Classic p>
“He said,” Oscar continued, his voice trembling, “that if I did my job, my name would be cleared. No one would touch me p>
“And you believed him?” Daven asked.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Oscar replied quietly,
Cale leaned back. “Everyone has a choice. You just picked the easiest one p>
Oscar lowered his head.
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“Listen carefully,” Cale said, his voice low. “Bret won’t protect you. He never protects anyone but himself p>
Oscar looked up. “I know that now p>
“Good,” Cale said. “Because now, your choices have changed p>
“What do you mean?” Oscar asked, panic creeping into his voice.
Cale leaned forward. “You help us-or you go down alone when I hand all of this over to people with far less patience p>
Oscar closed his eyes for a moment. “What do you want to know p>
Daven and Cale exchanged a glance. There was no triumph in it-only the shared gravity of two men who knew the game had just entered a far more dangerous chapter.
“Everything,” Daven said at last. “Starting with Bret… and anyone standing behind him p>
Oscar opened his eyes. For the first time since his capture, the fear on his face shifted into something else- resignation.
“Alright p>
The word hung in the air, thin but heavy with calculation.
“I’ll talk,” Oscar said quietly. His voice shook-not entirely from fear, but from an instinctive attempt to bargain. “But after this… I want guarantees p>
Cale studied him for a few seconds longer than necessary. The smile that curved his lips wasn’t friendly. It wasn’t the smile of negotiation, either. It was the smile of someone who had heard those words too many times-and had seen too many men like Oscar betray again the moment opportunity appeared.
“You’ll get them,” Cale said lightly. “As long as your story is worth it p>
From his seat, Daven noticed the subtle shift-almost imperceptible. Cale’s shoulders tightened. His jaw hardened. Something settled in his eyes-not an explosion of emotion, but a decision.
There was no warning. No further threat.
Cale stepped into the corner of the room and picked up the baseball bat that had been there from the start—not as decoration. In one swift, precise motion, he swung it straight into Oscar’s head.
The impact was dull and sickening.
Oscar screamed-a sound that broke apart mid-cry. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body lurched, then collapsed to the floor. The metal chair toppled over, chains clanking loudly. His breathing came in ragged gasps for a few seconds before fading. His eyes stared blankly upward-then slowly closed.
Silence.
Not a peaceful silence-but one that felt heavy, as if the air itself had suddenly lost oxygen.
Daven rose halfway on instinct, shock unmistakable in his gaze. Not because of the violence itself-he had seen enough of the darker side of the business world-but because of how fast Cale had acted, without hesitation, without restraint.
“Cale-” Daven’s voice caught.
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Cale lowered the bat slowly. His hand didn’t tremble. His breathing was steady-as if what he’d just done wasn’t an outburst, but a calculated move.
He looked at Oscar’s unmoving body, then wiped a speck of blood from his shirt cuff with a flat expression.
“He’s not someone you can trust,” Cale said at last. His tone was calm, almost cold. “People like him don’t talk out of loyalty. They talk because they want to trade one betrayal for the next p>
Daven studied his friend’s face, trying to read what went unsaid. “You don’t want to hear his confession p>
Cale shook his head slowly. “There’s no need p>
He walked over to the table and set the baseball bat down as if it were nothing. “There will be movement soon. The people who’ve lost contact with Oscar won’t stay quiet. They’ll start looking. And when they move-that will be our answer p>
Daven fell silent.
He understood what Cale meant. The people behind Oscar would panic. They would make mistakes. And those mistakes would be far more honest than any confession from someone who’d spent a lifetime lying.
“So we let them come to us?” Daven asked quietly.
Cale turned, meeting his gaze head-on. “We’re not waiting for confessions,” he said. “We’re waiting to see who feels threatened p>
His eyes drifted back to Oscar’s unconscious body. “And trust me… they won’t take long p>
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