Chapter 82: A Crime Scene

Inside his Upper East Side study, Silas Vanguard stood behind his desk, struggling to keep his temper under control.

The plan had been straightforward...

He had timed the second raid on the Hudson waterfront to match Jude Lawson’s arrival, ordering Anna to delay on 14th Street so Lawson would be caught on the site without private security.

Everything had collapsed at the end.

Lawson had walked off the lot uninjured while all 30 of Razor’s men were loaded into NYPD tactical vans... and Razor had handed over Silas’s name in writing.

Worse, Anna’s next words over the secure line only tightened the pressure.

"He knows I ordered the raid?" Silas hissed into the phone, his knuckles white against the desk. "And what did he tell you to do?"

"He ordered me to enter the estate before midnight and take one of your ears as a warning over property boundaries," Anna replied evenly.

"My ear?!"

Silas raised his voice. "Who does he think he’s talking to?!"

"What are your instructions, sir?" Anna asked. "If I stay embedded in his house, I can’t openly refuse an order without compromising my cover. Do you want me to pull out today?"

"No," Silas said, pacing across the rug. "You’re the only asset I have near him. Until we trace who is backing Lawson Capital and who handles his credit lines, you stay put. Hold your position. I’ll arrange something on this end."

Silas ended the call, turned around, and looked down at Lucas, who was slumped on the sofa holding an ice pack to his swollen nose.

"Look at you," Silas snapped. "Sit up and stop sniveling."

Lucas flinched. "Dad, didn’t you say you were handling him at the waterfront?"

"Razor’s entire crew was arrested by Organized Crime," Silas said flatly.

Lucas stared at him. "All 30 of them? Was it that woman on the black bike again? I’m telling you, Lawson’s security isn’t normal. We need someone who actually knows how to fight."

Silas kept his eyes on his son. He had no intention of explaining that Lawson’s "security" was Anna.

"She’s that capable?"

Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "Vinnie Corso’s 4 guys didn’t last 2 minutes."

Silas leaned against the desk, thinking it through. Lawson wanted Anna to take his ear tonight; obviously, he wasn’t letting that happen, but Anna couldn’t return empty-handed without raising Lawson’s suspicions.

The clean exit was to have someone stationed at the house to intercept her and force a retreat.

Lucas’s phone buzzed on the table.

He answered, listened for 10 seconds, and sat up. "He’s at the Mandarin Oriental right now? Good... bring him straight up here."

Lucas hung up, looking at his father. "Vinnie Corso tracked down someone who can handle it."

"Who?" Silas asked.

"Master Liu from Macau," Lucas said. "Traditional hand-to-hand specialist. Fought underground circuits for 20 years and knows how to break ribs through padding. Let’s see how Lawson’s security handles someone with real training."

Silas nodded slowly. "Bring him to the study. Let’s get this settled tonight."

Down at the Hudson Industrial Waterfront, Jude finished going over site instructions with Frank Miller before leaving.

Lawson Capital would cover all medical expenses for the injured workers, and the remaining crew would receive double hazard pay through the end of the quarter.

In addition, an armed security team from Ghost’s contractor would take over the main gate starting the following morning.

Within 10 minutes of the pay announcement, the crane operators were back in their cabs and the site engines were running again...

Jude got back into the Koenigsegg with Sophie Reed, heading uptown toward Lincoln Center.

Capital could handle crews and buyout offers, but it didn’t solve everything on the ground.

Telling Anna to take Silas Vanguard’s ear was a calculated risk. Compared to someone with her background, Jude’s own hand-to-hand experience was limited.

If Silas panicked and ordered her to turn on Jude directly, the situation would escalate quickly.

Still, Jude counted on one factor: Silas was too preoccupied with finding the non-existent backers behind Lawson Capital to burn his inside contact early.

In the passenger seat, Sophie looked over.

"What you did at the site was amazing, Mr. Lawson," Sophie said quietly. "30 men were ready to tear the yard up, and you shut them down before the police even showed up."

Jude glanced at her with a faint smile. "If I had actual combat training, I wouldn’t have spent 2 minutes bargaining with them."

Sophie smiled. "You say you don’t fight, Mr. Lawson, but you handled Lucas Vanguard in 2 seconds outside the gate."

"Dealing with Lucas Vanguard is just handling someone who talks too much," Jude said dryly. "Against 30 men with rebar, a legal paper trail works better."

"Still, Miss Anna is with you," Sophie added. "Having someone that capable makes a big difference."

Jude kept his eyes on the road, offering a quiet nod.

He wasn’t about to explain to a college student that his "bodyguard" had intentionally held back in an alley 30 minutes earlier.

"Let’s get something to eat," Jude said, changing the subject. "Then we’ll stop by the bike shop so you have transport for class tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Sophie said. She glanced out the window, noticing a corner deli 4 blocks south of Lincoln Center. "Could we stop for a minute? I just want to grab a bottle of water."

Jude pulled up to the curb outside the small convenience store, leaving the engine idling as Sophie stepped out and walked inside.

Jude rested his hands on the wheel, watching the sidewalk.

15 seconds later, his focus sharpened.

A man in a dirty hooded sweatshirt stepped out from the side alley next to the shop.

Before reaching the door, he pulled a cut piece of dark nylon over his face and pulled a 6-inch hunting knife from his waistband.

Armed robbery. And Sophie was the only customer inside.

Jude cut the engine, pushed the door up, and moved toward the entrance.

Inside, the deli was quiet.

The robber stepped up to the counter, tapping the blade against the register as he glared at the cashier. "Open the drawer and empty the bills. Touch the alarm button and you’re done."

The cashier froze, hands shaking as she reached for the keys.

Standing 10 feet away by the drink cooler, Sophie dropped her bottle of water. It hit the floor with a loud crack, water spilling across the linoleum.

The robber turned his head.

Seeing Sophie standing by the coolers, he stepped away from the counter, pointing the knife in her direction.

"Get over here," he snapped. "Move."

Sophie stood frozen, unable to step back.

"Are you deaf?" the robber barked, closing the distance and raising the blade toward her face. "Get over here right now, or I’ll cut you."

Sophie’s eyes shifted past his shoulder toward the glass doors.

Before the robber could turn, Jude grabbed his knife wrist from behind, wrenching it upward to force the blade out of his hand.

The robber cursed, throwing his weight back. Both of them crashed into a metal display rack, sending boxes spilling across the floor before they hit the ground together.

Jude kept both hands clamped around the man’s wrist, keeping the blade turned away.

The robber used his weight to push down, forcing the tip of the knife toward Jude’s shoulder inch by inch.

Near his left elbow, Jude spotted a crate filled with glass soda bottles.

Letting go with his left hand for a split second, Jude grabbed a bottle by the neck and brought it down hard against the side of the robber’s head.

The bottle shattered against the man’s temple, sending glass and beer across the linoleum.

The impact snapped his head to the side, his grip on the knife loosening as he stumbled off balance.

Shoving the man off his chest, he grabbed a second bottle from the crate beside him and brought it down hard across the bridge of his nose.

The robber went down hard, dropping the knife onto the floor.

Jude caught him with two more quick strikes, keeping him pinned until the man stopped struggling entirely and lay flat among the broken glass.

Jude got back to his feet, kicked the loose hunting knife under the counter, and took a breath, brushing glass dust from his sleeve.

Behind the register, the cashier and Sophie stood frozen.

Sophie stared at him, heart racing, taking in how quickly he had stepped in the moment the man turned the knife toward her.

Before anyone spoke, a few lines of text flickered in Jude’s vision:

[Daily Sign-In ready. Location: Manhattan Commercial Grid.]

[Claim reward: Tier-1 Body Enhancement Serum. Claim now?]

Jude paused.

Earlier that morning, he had considered the gap in body strength if an operative like Anna ever turned on him directly...

Claim, he confirmed silently.

[Reward claimed. Serum capsule stored in inventory.]

[Effects: Enhances muscle density, bone strength, and reflex speed. Warning: Adjust your strength to avoid breaking nearby objects.]

Jude reached into his right jacket pocket. His fingers closed around a small gel capsule.

Moving casually while the cashier reached for the phone, he slipped it into his mouth and swallowed it.

The shift hit him within seconds... A sharp rush of warmth moved through his chest and down his limbs.

The fatigue from the scuffle faded immediately, replaced by a coiled tension through his arms and shoulders.

The front door kicked open with a bang.

"Rico, what’s taking so long with the—"

A second man stepped in from the alley, stopping dead as he saw his partner down on the floor in broken glass. He was broad-shouldered, and easily 260 pounds.

Behind the counter, the cashier gasped, backing against the wall.

"You took out Rico?" the man barked, stepping into the aisle with his fists raised.

Jude turned toward him. "He’s done," Jude said. "Step back out the door."

"You’re leaving on the floor with him," the man snarled, lunging forward with a right hook aimed straight at Jude’s head.

Sophie pulled back, bracing for the impact.

Jude didn’t step back. As the punch came in, Jude raised his right hand, caught the incoming fist in his open palm, and squeezed.

Bones cracked in a tight crunch. The man let out a sharp cry, his knees giving out as the bones in his right hand collapsed under the grip. He dropped to the floor, sweating and holding his ruined hand against his ribs.

Jude let go, stepping back with a slight frown. He had barely put pressure behind the grip, but the bones had folded immediately. Controlling the force would take adjustment.

Desperate from the pain, the man reached for his belt with his left hand, pulling an 8-inch hunting knife and lunging upward.

Jude moved before the blade cleared his waist, stripping the knife cleanly from his grip and driving the man down onto his stomach.

Holding the blade, Jude drove the tip down through the floorboards right beside the man’s wrist, pinning him in place.

With a quick twist of his wrist, he bent the steel blade 90 degrees, locking it into the wood like an anchor.

The man stared at the warped steel in shock, went pale, and passed out from the pain.

The market went dead silent...

Sophie and the cashier stared at the bent steel blade embedded in the floor, unable to process what had just happened in the span of 30 seconds.

Jude stood up, straightened his cuffs, and looked at the cashier. "Both of them are down. Call the precinct."

"Yes, sir," she stammered, picking up the landline with shaking hands.

Jude turned to Sophie. "Let’s go, Sophie."

Sophie snapped out of her daze, grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf, and set down a $5 bill.

"For the water—"

"Keep it, miss," the cashier said quickly, waving her hands. "Just take it."

"Thank you," Jude said, guiding Sophie out the door toward the car.

20 minutes later, police sirens echoed down the avenue as 4 patrol cruisers pulled up outside the deli.

Lieutenant Lola Grant stepped through the door, flanked by 3 patrolmen, and stopped in the front aisle.

One man lay unconscious among broken bottles, while a 260-pound suspect lay flat on the floor with a crushed right hand and a hunting knife twisted into an angle right beside him.

"What happened here?" a sergeant asked, looking at the bent steel in the floorboards.

Lola walked over, looking down at the blade, then turned to the cashier behind the counter.

"Who put these two down?"