Unfinished Business

Unfinished Business

Unknown POV

With the glasses, everything was clear as day. Cristina Santos stood next to the tribute stone and put white roses on it for the girls who would never need flowers again. That's so moving. What a fool.
She believed she was now safe. All of them did.
Marcus Daniels put down his binoculars and smiled coldly from where he was hiding across the bay in an old cannery. After six months of watching, planning, and getting ready for this moment, it finally came.
The explosion on the boat was great entertainment. While the FBI looked for his body in the freezing water, he'd been breathing through stolen scuba gear, swimming to the hidden cave where Chen's submarine waited.
When they first met in the underwater base, Chen told him to "wait." "Revenge tastes better when it's been aged properly."
Now Marcus understood what Chen meant. Watching Elena think she'd won, seeing the town celebrate their win, observing the survivors rebuild their lives – it made the coming destruction so much sweeter.
His phone buzzed with an encrypted message from Chen: "Phase One approved. Eliminate all witnesses. Begin tonight."
Marcus wrote back: "Understood. Starting with the detective."
Through his glasses, he watched Elena hug Amy Rodriguez goodbye. The foolish girl had no idea that her escape had been temporary. Chen's network had long memories and longer reach.
Marcus checked his watch. In twelve hours, Elena Santos would be dead. In twenty-four hours, Agent Sarah Kim would join her. By the end of the week, every FBI agent who'd worked the Moonfall Bay case would have suffered terrible accidents.
Car crashes, house fires, random muggings gone wrong – Chen's people were creative with their elimination ways.
But Marcus had special plans for Elena. She'd humiliated him, destroyed his business, and cost him twenty years of careful work. Her death needed to be personal.
He pulled out a thorough map of Elena's apartment building. Chen's tech team had given floor plans, security camera locations, and Elena's daily routine. They knew she drank coffee at six AM, walked her dog at seven PM, and always checked her locks twice before bed.
They also knew she slept with a gun under her pillow and had motion sensors throughout her flat. Killing Elena wouldn't be easy, but Marcus had patience and better planning.
His earphone crackled with Chen's voice: "Marcus, status report."
"Surveillance complete. Target keeps predictable patterns. Elimination window opens at eleven PM."
"Excellent. Remember, this must look accidental."
"Understood. Chen, what about the other targets?"
"Agent Kim will be handled by our Seattle team. Dr. Archer and the Rodriguez girl are being followed by our Vancouver assets. All eliminations will occur simultaneously."
Marcus felt pleasure flow through him like warm alcohol. Elena had thought she was so clever, building a network of friends and survivors to fight trafficking. But networks worked both ways – they also made it easy to find targets.
"Chen, what about the FBI investigation into our new operations?"
"Without key witnesses, their cases will fall. Dead heroes can't testify at trials."
Marcus finished the call and focused his binoculars on Elena again. She was talking to Dr. Archer now, possibly discussing their pathetic romantic relationship. Neither of them knew they were having their last conversation.
At six PM, Marcus moved to his backup observation post in the old church bell tower. From here, he could see Elena's apartment building and the route she took when walking her dog.
Right on time, Elena emerged from her building with her German Shepherd. She looked relaxed and happy, probably thinking about the funeral service and how much good she'd done.
She had no idea that Chen's snipers were already setting themselves along her walking route.
Marcus's phone vibrated with information from the other teams: "Seattle team in position. Agent Kim targeted."
"Vancouver team ready. Dr. Archer and Rodriguez girl located." "Portland team standing by. Additional FBI spies identified."
Everything was going according to plan. In five hours, Chen's network would eliminate everyone who posed a threat to their Pacific Coast activities.
Marcus checked his weapon one final time. A simple poisoned dart gun, quiet and effective. Elena would feel a small sting, like a mosquito bite, and then she'd have maybe thirty seconds before the toxin stopped her heart.
The stated cause of death would be heart failure. Tragic but not suspicious, especially for someone who'd been under stress from hunting dangerous crooks.
At ten-thirty PM, Elena returned from her evening walk and entered her apartment building. Marcus waited fifteen minutes, then slipped inside using the key Chen's people had made.
Elena's room was on the third floor, at the end of a quiet hallway. Marcus climbed the stairs quietly, his heart pumping with anticipation.
This was it. The moment he'd been planning for six months.
He reached Elena's door and listened carefully. She was inside, possibly getting ready for bed. Her dog was quiet, which meant she was relaxed and unaware.
Marcus pulled out his lock picks and went to work on Elena's door. These were the same tools he'd used twenty years ago to break into houses and steal the evidence that could have exposed his trafficking business.
The lock clicked open.
Marcus stepped into Elena's room, his dart gun ready. The living room was dark except for light coming from the bedroom. Perfect.
He moved quietly across the wooden floor, avoiding the squeaky board near the kitchen. Elena's dog was nowhere to be seen, which was strange but not worrisome.
The bedroom door was slightly open. Through the crack, Marcus could see Elena's figure moving around, getting ready for sleep.
He raised the dart gun and took careful aim.
That's when the lights came on and he found himself circled by FBI agents with weapons pointed at his head.
"Hello, Marcus," Elena stepped out of the closet, very much alive and very much armed. "We've been waiting for you."
Agent Thompson appeared from behind the bedroom door. "Marcus Daniels, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder."
Marcus's mind raced as he realized the horrible truth. The memorial service, Elena's routine, the predictable schedule – it had all been fake, meant to lure him into this trap.
"How did you know?" he asked.
"Because Chen isn't as smart as he thinks he is," Elena smiled coldly. "His phone calls to you have been watched for weeks. We know about the knockout plan, the other teams, everything."
Agent Thompson spoke into his radio: "All teams, execute arrests now. Repeat, execute all arrests."
Marcus felt fear rising in his chest. "You can't prove anything. I was just visiting an old friend."
"With a poisoned dart gun?" Elena held up an evidence bag. "Marcus, we've got you on breaking and entering, possession of illegal weapons, and plot to commit murder. Chen's going to need a new business partner."
As the FBI agents handcuffed him, Marcus understood that his carefully planned revenge had become his final mistake.
But Elena wasn't finished with him yet.
"Marcus, there's something else you should know. Amy Rodriguez, Dr. Archer, Agent Kim – they're all safe too. Chen's entire removal plan just got turned into a federal case that's going to destroy what's left of his network."
"You can't stop Chen forever," Marcus growled. "He has resources you can't imagine."
"Maybe not forever," Elena allowed. "But we stopped him tonight. And we'll keep stopping him until there's nothing left of his kingdom but memories."
As they dragged Marcus away in handcuffs, he got a glimpse of the memorial stone through Elena's window. Thirty-seven white roses glowed in the moonlight, and for the first time in twenty years, Marcus Daniels felt something that might have been shame.
But the feeling passed quickly, replaced by cold rage.
Chen's network was bigger than one failed mission. There would be other opportunities, other plans, other ways to make Elena Santos pay for destroying everything he'd made.
From his cell in federal jail, Marcus began planning his next move.
After all, some hunts never really end.