The footage had destroyed my reputation, but it had damaged his too. It made him look like a man who would sleep with his enemy's wife. In the mafia world, that was a stain that didn't wash off easily.
He would want proof that he'd been set up.
And I had it.
My fingers trembled as I scrolled through my contacts. I'd memorized Alberto's number years ago, Tyron had made me memorize all his enemies' numbers in case I was ever kidnapped and needed to report information.
He never imagined I'd use it like this.
I stared at the number for a long moment.
This was it.
Once I made this call, there was no going back. I would be aligning myself with Tyron's greatest enemy. I'll become a traitor in truth, not just in accusation.
But what did I have to lose?
I pressed CALL.
It rang once, twice. Then a deep, smooth voice answered, "Barella."
"This is Morry Poltort," I said quietly. "Don't hang up."
Silence on the other end.
"I know what Tyron did," I continued. "I know how he framed us both. The footage was fake. The audio was spliced. I have proof."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I have a recording of Tyron and Hixia Moose admitting everything," I said. "How they planned it. How they edited the footage and how they used both of us."
"Send it to me."
"No," I said. "Not over any network Tyron might monitor. I need to meet you. Face to face."
"That's not how this works," Alberto said coldly. "You could be setting me up. Recording this call right now for Tyron."
"If I was working with Tyron, why would I be locked in a basement with a bounty on my head?" I asked.
"Your men are hunting me. Half a million, dead or alive. Does that sound like I'm his ally?"
"It sounds like theater," Alberto said. "Tyron is clever. This could be an elaborate trap."
"Then listen to this," I said.
I held the phone up and played thirty seconds. Tyron's voice filled the small basement, "The timestamps were the key. We recontextualized it. Made it look like she went to his penthouse."
"You framed your wife for adultery, Tyron. Just admit it."
I brought the phone back to my ear.
Silence. But it was a different kind of silence now. It felt heavy and dangerous.
"When did you record this?" Alberto asked, his voice low.
"This morning. Right before Tyron summoned me to his study. I heard them through the door."
"And they don't know you have it?"
"No one knows. Except you."
Another pause.
"What do you want?"
"Revenge," I said simply. "I want to destroy them both. Completely. Publicly. I want them to lose everything the way they made me lose everything."
"And what do you need from me?"
"Protection. Resources. Information about Tyron's operations, what files would hurt him most, which families would turn on him if they knew the truth. And when this is over, I want enough money to disappear."
"That's a lot to ask."
"I'm offering a lot in return," I said.
"I was Tyron's wife for five years. I know his codes. I know where he keeps his files. I can access his private server, his safe, his financial records. Everything you've been trying to get for years. I can hand you his entire empire."
"In exchange for revenge."
"In exchange for justice," I corrected. "There's a difference."
"Not to me," Alberto said. "But I like your style. How long do you need?"
"Two weeks," I said. "Maybe three. Enough time to access everything without raising suspicion. To copy files while playing the broken, compliant wife."
"And you'll stay there? In that basement? While gathering evidence?"
"I don't have a choice," I said. "If I run now, Tyron will know someone helped me. He'll change everything. Burn evidence. I need him to think I'm defeated."
"What about the bounty?" Alberto asked. "My men are looking for you."
"Call them off," I said. "Tell them you found me. Tell them whatever you need to tell them. Just give me time to do this."
"And if I don't? If I decide you're more valuable to me as leverage against Tyron?"
"Then that recording gets sent to every family in this city," I said coldly. "You'll both go down. So decide, Alberto. Do you want leverage, or do you want Tyron Poltort destroyed?"
The line went quiet for so long I thought he'd hung up.
"I'll call off my men. You have two weeks. After that, I'm coming to get you whether you're ready or not. And Morry?"
"Yes?"
"If you're playing me, if this is some scheme of Tyron's, I won't kill you quickly. I'll make sure you suffer in ways that make your current situation look like paradise."
"Understood," I said.
"Good. I'll send you a secure contact method within forty-eight hours. Watch for a food delivery with a red seal. Inside will be a phone. Don't use your current one again after tonight, Tyron's people are better at tracking than you think."
"How will you get a delivery to the basement?"
"I have my ways," Alberto said. "Mrs. Chen isn't the only person in that house who's tired of Tyron Poltort."
The line went dead.
I sat in the darkness, my heart pounding.
I had done it. I had made my alliance with the devil.
Now I just had to survive long enough to destroy the monsters who'd betrayed me.
I pulled up the recording one more time and listened to Hixia's laugh, to Tyron's cold dismissal of our five-year marriage.
"Tyron and Hixia…" I whispered to the empty basement, "I'll make sure you lose everything."
I tucked the phone back into my hidden pocket and lay down on the cot.
Tomorrow, I would be the perfect broken wife.
But in two weeks, I would burn their world to the ground.
And I would make them watch.
