Page 54 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

“You’re making accusations you can’t possibly prove,” he said, voice hardening as he abandoned the pretense of civility.“Security!”

“They’re occupied,” Atticus replied with cold satisfaction.“Just like the security at your demonstration site was occupied while we secured the bioweapon samples you planned to sell to international terrorists.Just like the FBI is currently occupied raiding BioGenix’s facilities and securing evidence that links directly back to you.”

More guests had turned to watch now, the whispers growing louder as phones appeared, capturing the confrontation.Mitchell’s remaining bodyguard moved toward them, hand sliding beneath his jacket.

“Hostile approaching, your six o’clock,” Jade reported calmly through their comms.

“I wouldn’t,” Atticus advised the bodyguard, turning slightly to face him while keeping Mitchell in his peripheral vision.He discreetly revealed the edge of his own weapon.“Not here, surrounded by diplomats and cameras.Think about what happens next—to your career, to your boss.”

The bodyguard hesitated, clearly weighing his options.His gaze darted from Atticus to the crowd of witnesses with phones recording, then to Mitchell who gave him a subtle head shake.The guard stepped back but remained vigilant, hand still positioned for quick access to his weapon.

“Smart decision,” Atticus said, turning back to Mitchell.“Now, as I was saying…”

He stepped closer to Mitchell, close enough that anyone watching would see only an intense conversation rather than hear the damning words.“Your operation is exposed.Your buyers from Texas have been detained.Your weapon has been neutralized.And right now, a complete dossier of your crimes—including your direct order to eliminate my wife eight years ago because I was getting too close to your weapons dealing—is being delivered to every major news outlet, federal law enforcement agency, and international security organization.”

“You’re bluffing,” Mitchell hissed, though uncertainty had crept into his expression.“You have nothing.”

In response, Atticus removed his phone from his pocket, turning the screen to reveal a video feed—Mitchell in his private office, issuing explicit instructions regarding the bioweapon demonstration.

“Turns out your secure communication system wasn’t as secure as you thought,” Atticus said, satisfaction evident in his tone.“My tech specialist has been inside your network for months.Every conversation, every order, every detail of your operation—we have it all.”

Real fear flickered across Mitchell’s face for the first time.Then his expression hardened, and his hand moved subtly to his watch.

“If that’s true,” Mitchell said, voice dropping to a deadly whisper, “then none of us will be leaving this building alive.”

Atticus recognized the movement instantly—the slight twist of Mitchell’s watch face, the subtle click of a mechanism engaging.His combat instincts surged to the forefront.

“He’s activated something,” Atticus warned through the comms.“Cal, check the building security systems.Now.”

Sabrina stepped forward, blocking Mitchell’s retreat as the senator attempted to back away.“What did you just do?”

Mitchell’s lips curled into a smile that held no warmth.“Insurance policy.You should have left me alone, Cameron.You had eight years to make peace with your loss.Now everyone in this building will share your wife’s fate.”

“Atticus.”Cal’s voice came through their comms, tension evident in his normally steady tone.“I’ve detected an unauthorized device activation in the building’s electrical system.Looks like some kind of explosive attached to the main structural supports.Timer indicates less than ten minutes.”

“How many?”Atticus demanded, not taking his eyes off Mitchell.

“Multiple devices.At least six, strategically placed.If they all go, the entire building comes down.”

“You’re insane,” Sabrina said, her medical training immediately calculating the casualties such an act would cause.“There are over a thousand people in this building.”

“Collateral damage,” Mitchell replied with the casual disregard of someone who had built a career on others’ suffering.“Just like your wife, just like those test subjects in Texas.The world runs on necessary sacrifices.”

Atticus lunged forward, grabbing Mitchell by the throat and slamming him against the nearest wall.Guests scattered, cries of alarm spreading through the reception hall as the confrontation turned violent.

“Disarm it,” Atticus growled, his control finally fracturing under the weight of eight years of grief and rage.“Now.”

Mitchell’s security detail moved to intervene, but Nate and Eden appeared as if from nowhere, weapons drawn, creating a defensive perimeter around Atticus and Sabrina.

“I wouldn’t,” Nate advised the approaching guards.“Your boss just activated explosives in a building full of diplomats.You really want to be on his side when this story breaks?”

The security team hesitated, suddenly unsure of their allegiance as whispers of “explosives” rippled through the crowd, triggering a wave of panic and movement toward the exits.

“We need to evacuate,” Sabrina said.“These people need to get out of here.”

“If we trigger a mass evacuation, we risk losing Mitchell in the chaos,” Eden countered.“And he’s the only one who might know how to disarm the devices.”

“I’ve alerted Deputy Director Kessler,” Cal reported through comms.“FBI tactical teams are mobilizing, but they’re still minutes out.You don’t have that kind of time.”

---