“Dispatch?” he said.
A pause.
Static.
Then—
Urgency.
Immediate.
Panicked.
“Stand down. Repeat—stand down immediately.”
The officer froze.
Brooks didn’t.
“Say that again,” he barked.
But the voice came louder now.
Clearer.
“Captain Brooks, you are being recorded. The entire situation is live. You are to disengage and await federal oversight.”
The garden shifted.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
Fear began to loosen its grip.
Just slightly.
Because power—
Real power—
had changed hands.
Brooks lowered the radio slowly.
His breathing had changed.
Faster now.
Shallower.
“You set this up,” he said, eyes narrowing at Benjamin.
Benjamin didn’t deny it.
Didn’t confirm it either.
“I invited people who tell the truth,” he said.
And for the first time—
Brooks looked around and saw them.
Not as targets.
But as witnesses.
As people.
As consequences.
Rebecca stepped forward then.
No one stopped her this time.
She reached Benjamin’s side, her hand finding his again.
Stronger now.
Steadier.
“It’s over,” she said softly.
But Brooks shook his head.
“No,” he muttered.
“No, it’s not.”
And in that moment—
Something broke.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But quietly.
Dangerously.
He lunged.
Fast.
Desperate.
His hand grabbing for Benjamin’s collar—
And everything exploded at once.
Officers shouting.
Guests screaming.
Movement.
Chaos.
A struggle—
Then—
A gunshot.
One.
Sharp.
Final.
Time didn’t stop.
It shattered.
