"An encrypted message from the FBI agent they had met. Need to see you in person alone urgent. Benjamin read it over her shoulder. Trap."
"Maybe. You still going? Maya nodded. Yes."
"Benjamin grabbed his coat. Then you're not going alone. They met the agent in an underground parking garage beneath a federal office annex. He looked exhausted and scared."
"That alone told Maya how bad things had become. You need to disappear for a while, he said immediately. Benjamin stiffened. What happened?"
"The agent looked around before speaking. Our internal review confirms the leak came from inside Justice Department oversight. Your case is compromised higher than we thought. Maya's face hardened."
"How high? The agent swallowed. High enough that I'm risking my career talking to you. He handed her a sealed envelope."
"What's this? Internal memo. Restricted circulation. It names the office that intervened to narrow the federal investigation."
"Maya opened it. Read the header. Her blood ran cold. Office of the United States Attorney Northern District of Illinois."
"Benjamin cursed quietly. Federal prosecutors themselves had interfered. The agent looked at them both. You're not fighting city corruption anymore."
"Maya stared at him. Then what am I fighting? He answered bluntly. A machine that reaches further than you can prove."
"Then he turned to leave. Maya stopped him. Why help us? He looked back."
"Because if people like you stop fighting, his expression hardened. People like them never lose. Then he walked away."
"Back at the office, Benjamin shut the blinds and locked the door. They spread the new memo beside the rest of the evidence. Maya sat in stunned silence. This reaches federal prosecutors."
"Benjamin nodded, which means if we accuse the mayor publicly without airtight proof, they'll destroy us before the accusation lands. Maya looked up. Then we need proof directly tying him in. Benjamin pointed to the ledger."
"Then we find it. They worked for six straight hours tracing financial transfers, cross-checking campaign donations, matching political favors against conviction dates. Then Maya found it. A ledger entry buried three pages deep."
"RH personal directive Brooks conviction priority confirm press event after verdict. She stared. Benjamin leaned over. His face changed."
"That's him. Maya nodded slowly. Richard Holloway. Benjamin's expression sharpened."
"We need more than initials. Maya kept searching. Then she found the matching correspondence. A scanned invitation draft for a press conference prepared before Brooks's conviction with handwritten edits in the margin."
"One note circled in red. Ensure conviction before announcement. RH attending. Benjamin stared."
"Then whispered, That's enough to force discovery. Maya nodded. No. She looked up."
"It's enough to destroy him. That afternoon, they prepared the filing. Emergency motion, expanded conspiracy complaint, request for criminal referral, attached evidence implicating the mayor directly. Benjamin read the final page."
"If we file this, Maya met his eyes. There's no going back. He nodded once, then signed beside her. They filed at 4:17 p. m."
"By 5:00 p. m., the courthouse was chaos. Media vans lined the block. Reporters crowded every entrance. Political commentators were already calling it the largest corruption scandal in city history."
"Then at 6:12 p. m., Mayor Richard Holloway called a live press conference. Maya and Benjamin watched from the office television. The mayor stood behind a podium at City Hall. Calm, controlled, flanked by lawyers."
"He looked directly into the cameras."These allegations are false, malicious, politically motivated. " Maya folded her arms. Then Holloway said,"And while I respect Ms. Williams' passion, it is unfortunate that youthful ambition has once again confused accusation with truth.
" Benjamin muttered,"There it is. " He was trying to belittle her, dismiss her, paint her as reckless, desperate, inexperienced. The same tactic Whitmore had used. Maya kept watching."
"Then Holloway smiled faintly."But unlike others, I will not attack a young attorney for overreaching. I simply trust the truth will clear my name. " He ended the conference and walked off."
"Maya stared at the screen."He's too calm. " Benjamin nodded."Because he thinks he still has a move left.
" That night, Maya drove home just after 10:00. She noticed the black sedan in her rearview mirror halfway there. It followed through three turns, then four. Her pulse quickened."
"She grabbed her phone."Benjamin. ""What's wrong? ""I'm being followed.
" His voice sharpened instantly."Drive to the nearest police station. " She turned hard. The sedan followed."
"Two blocks later, its headlights surged closer, then rammed her rear bumper. Maya screamed as the wheel jerked. The second hit sent her car spinning across the intersection. Glass shattered."
"Metal screamed. Her vehicle slammed into a curb and stopped hard enough to steal her breath. The sedan sped away, gone before she could see the plate. Minutes later, sirens, lights, paramedics."
"Benjamin arrived before they finished loading her into the ambulance. He grabbed her hand. Are you hurt? Maya, dazed and bleeding from the forehead, looked at him and said the words both of them already knew were true."
"That wasn't an accident. Benjamin's face turned to stone. No more doubt. No more warning shots."
"No more intimidation. The machine had crossed the final line. They were trying to kill her now. And as Maya sat in the ambulance with blood running down her face, one truth settled into her bones with perfect clarity."
"She had hurt them. Badly. Badly enough that the most powerful people in the city would rather see her dead than let her speak again. Which meant they were closer than ever."
"And now, the only question left was who would fall first. Maya was discharged from the hospital just after sunrise with bruised ribs, stitches above her eyebrow, and strict instructions to rest. She ignored all of them. Benjamin drove her straight to his office."
"You should be in bed, he said. They tried to kill me. That's exactly why you should disappear for 48 hours. Maya turned toward him."
"And give them time to destroy the case while I hide? Benjamin did not answer because he knew she was right. By the time they reached the office, national media had already picked up the story. Attorney leading corruption case survives suspected hit-and-run."