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BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 41
Joey stared at the stack of files in front of him, but they didn’t make any sense. The information was there, but his mind kept circling back to one thought: This is all part of something bigger. Samuel’s release, the high-profile supporters, the silence from people who should have been talking. Nothing about it added up.He leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. There was a knock at the door.“Joey?” The voice belonged to Sarah, and it was unmistakably calm—almost too calm.“Come in,” he replied, his tone more clipped than he intended.Sarah entered without hesitation, her posture as confident as always, her eyes scanning the room as if it were her domain. She closed the door behind her and took a seat across from him. Her gaze was steady, but Joey could sense that she was waiting for him to speak first.“What’s going on, Sarah?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Samuel’s release. It’s not just a coincidence, is it?”Sa
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 42
Samuel leaned back in his chair, watching Sarah with narrowed eyes. The dim light in the room cast long shadows across her face, making her expression unreadable. She had called him here—this private, quiet space tucked away from the world—because she had something to say. Something important.“What’s this really about, Sarah?” he asked, voice steady but laced with suspicion. “I know you didn’t bring me here just to reminisce.”Sarah exhaled, folding her arms. “No, I didn’t. It’s about your past, Samuel. About the things you don’t know.”Samuel scoffed, shifting slightly. “I know enough.”“No, you don’t.” Sarah leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table between them. “You think your old master was just another powerful figure who fell to time? That his death was the end of his legacy? It wasn’t.”Samuel’s jaw tightened. His old master—Richard Vale—had been one of the most feared and respected men in the underworld. Ruthless, cunning, always three steps ahead. And then, one day, h
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 43
Joey sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The city stretched before him, neon lights flickering in puddles along the streets, the distant hum of traffic merging with the weight of his own thoughts. He had parked outside an old diner, one he used to visit when his biggest concern was a pile of unsolved cases and too much bad coffee.Now, things were different.His phone buzzed on the passenger seat, Samuel’s name flashing on the screen. Joey hesitated. It was always like this now—his old instincts battling against his new reality.He had been a cop once. A damn good one. Back when the law had clear lines, when criminals were the enemy, when he still believed in justice. Then Samuel happened.It hadn’t been overnight. At first, Joey told himself he was just gathering intel, playing a long game. He could get close to Samuel, see how deep his operation ran, and then take it apart from the inside. But that plan had dissolved somewhere along the
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 44
If justice wouldn’t do its job, Arthur would make sure the world saw Samuel for what he truly was.He tapped his fingers against the keyboard, skimming through old articles, police reports, anything that might give him leverage. Samuel had been careful, but no one was untouchable. Everyone had a past, and Arthur was going to dig until he found the skeletons buried in Samuel’s closet.Then, he’d burn them for the whole world to see.The first crack appeared in an obscure report from twenty years ago. A fire at a group home. Three dead, including the owner, a man suspected of running an illegal foster scheme. The official story ruled it as an accident, but Arthur had spent too many years in this game to believe in coincidences.Especially when a young Samuel had been one of the few survivors.Arthur leaned back, rubbing his jaw. The fire had destroyed most of the records, but something about it didn’t sit right. Survivors had been sent to different homes, and while most had faded into o
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 45
Madeline had always admired Gideon from a distance, first as an untouchable figure of influence, then as something more—something that made her pulse quicken in a way she couldn’t afford to acknowledge. He was calculated, brilliant, always three steps ahead of the world. And she wanted to be part of that world.At first, it had been simple. She had helped where she could, subtly inserting herself into his plans. But the more time she spent in his orbit, the more tangled she became in his machinations. And the more tangled she became, the harder it was to remember where Gideon’s ambitions ended and her own choices began.She wanted to prove herself to him.She just hadn’t realized how much it would cost.The first real mistake came on a cold evening in November. Madeline sat across from Gideon in his office, the flickering candlelight casting shadows along the bookshelves. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, watching her as she laid out the information she had gathered.“It’
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 46
The air in the city was thick with tension, the kind that clung to every whispered conversation, every careful glance over the shoulder. Samuel had been walking a tightrope, balancing between survival and the relentless pursuit of those who wanted him destroyed. He had grown used to being hunted, to schemes woven in the shadows.But he had not expected this.The doors to the dimly lit lounge swung open with a force that silenced the room. The usual hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses came to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned toward the figure standing in the doorway.A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped inside, the glow of the streetlamp behind him casting his face into shadow. His presence alone carried an unmistakable weight, as if the city itself had been holding its breath for his return.Samuel, seated in the corner with a glass of whiskey in hand, slowly lowered the drink. His fingers tightened around the glass. He hadn’t seen that face in years—had convinced himself
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 47
They had entered Samuel’s world like a shadow slipping through cracks in the pavement—silent, sudden, and impossible to ignore.Their name was Vincent Hale, a fixer, a broker of secrets. No allegiance except to the highest bidder, no history that could be traced without running into dead ends. They were the kind of person who could make or break men like Samuel, and they knew it.Vincent exhaled slowly, letting the tension settle in the room before finally speaking. “I have something you need.”Samuel lifted his gaze, eyes dark and unreadable. “That so?”Vincent slid a small USB drive across the table. It stopped just before Samuel’s fingers. “On there is everything you need to rip Arthur apart from the inside. Connections he’s kept hidden, favors he’s traded with men who would burn if their names were ever tied to him. Corrupt politicians, CEOs, judges—every dirty deal, every handshake in the dark.”Samuel stared at the drive but didn’t reach for it. He had learned long ago that noth
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 48
Samuel had changed everything. He wasn’t just a powerful man—he was a force, a presence that made the ground shift under your feet. The moment Joey had stepped into his world, he had felt it, the pull of something bigger, something darker. And yet, even knowing the weight of the choices ahead, he was still here.A knock on the passenger window snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Vincent Hale, Samuel’s newest ally, smirking at him through the glass. Joey hesitated, then unlocked the door.Vincent slid in, his movements smooth, casual. “You look like a man about to make a very bad decision.”Joey exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing anymore.”Vincent chuckled, lighting a cigarette and taking a slow drag before responding. “That’s the first honest thing I’ve heard all night.”Joey turned to face him fully. “Why are you here?”Vincent exhaled smoke toward the windshield. “Samuel sent me to make sure you don’t do anything… regre
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The aftermath of William Brook’s fall left an eerie silence in the grand hall. Smoke curled from the scorched remnants of his body, his power having disintegrated beneath Samuel’s attack. But despite the victory, the tension in the air remained thick, as though the battle had only scratched the surface of something much bigger.Evelyn stepped beside Samuel, her expression unreadable. “You look like you’re expecting another ghost to jump out of the shadows.”Samuel didn’t respond immediately. His senses were on high alert, his instincts telling him this wasn’t over. The Brook family wouldn’t take William’s downfall lightly. If anything, they’d retaliate with fury.“We need to move,” Samuel said, voice firm. “Now.”Evelyn smirked but followed as he strode out of the ruined hall. The moment they stepped into the corridor, the weight of their situation settled. The estate, once a stronghold of wealth and power, now felt like a battlefield.As they walked, Evelyn broke the silence. “So, wh
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Samuel stood at the center, his eyes dark with unreadable emotions, while the Brook family loomed over the negotiation table like vultures circling a fresh kill.“I don’t think you understand the weight of what you’re asking, Mr. Brook,” Samuel said, voice calm but edged with steel.Across from him, William Brook smirked, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of his chair. “Oh, I understand perfectly,” he mused. “What I don’t understand is why you’re hesitating. A merger between our companies would be beneficial for both sides. And yet, you seem... resistant.”Samuel’s jaw tightened. This wasn’t just a business deal. The Brook family had been subtly moving against him for months, and now, they were making their power play. He wasn’t going to let them win.“I have no interest in merging with a family that has done everything in its power to sabotage mine,” Samuel said coldly.“You wound me,” William chuckled, leaning back. “This isn’t about the past, Samuel. It’s about the f
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Vincent, still clutching his gun, scanned the perimeter of the room before finally lowering it. "We should be safe here for now."Evelyn rubbed her temples, her fingers trembling. "For now? That's not exactly reassuring. Those echoes... that wasn’t normal. Not even for this."Thorne stood near the doorway, his gaze distant. "It was an aftershock. The Devourer may be bound, but its influence lingers. The echoes were proof of that."Sophia crossed her arms. "Great. So what do we do? Just sit here and wait for another nightmare to show up?""No," Thorne said simply. "We need to sever the last ties."Samuel looked up. "Ties? You mean, there’s still something linking this place to the Devourer?"Thorne nodded. "The remnants of its presence don’t just vanish. The echoes were drawn to us because we disrupted something ancient. If we don’t finish what we started, this will happen again. And next time, we might not be able to outrun it."A heavy silence settled over the room.Vincent finally s
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The group moved quickly through the desolate landscape, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them. The air still held the remnants of the Devourer’s presence, thick and suffocating. Samuel kept a firm grip on Mercer’s arm, making sure he stayed steady.Mercer, though exhausted, still managed to crack a weak smile. “You planning to hold onto me forever?”Samuel scoffed but didn’t let go. “You can barely stand.”Mercer sighed but didn’t argue. His body was covered in bruises, his clothes tattered, and his skin was still marked with faint traces of the dark tendrils that had bound him to the Devourer.Vincent led the way, his gun still drawn, eyes sharp and scanning the area for any threats. Evelyn walked beside him, her hands trembling slightly, though she tried to hide it. Sophia was a few steps ahead of Samuel and Mercer, her grip still tight on the dagger, ready for anything.Thorne, as always, was eerily calm, his presence steady. “We need to move faster,” he said.
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The second eye blinked open, followed by a third, then a fourth. The Devourer’s presence spread, a suffocating force pressing down on Samuel’s chest. The symbols on the ground pulsed in response, flickering like a heartbeat.Sophia’s grip tightened on the dagger she held, ready to intervene if things went wrong. Vincent and Marcus stood at the edge of the ritual circle, their eyes locked on Samuel, prepared for anything.The Devourer’s voice slithered through the air. “You… are tethered to the one we hold.”Samuel swallowed hard. “Yes.”The entity’s gaze burned through him, its presence creeping into the depths of his mind, sifting through his memories, his emotions, his very essence. A wave of nausea rolled through him as the connection strengthened.“You offer yourself?”Samuel’s fingers curled into fists. “I do.”Evelyn’s chanting shifted, the cadence growing sharper, more forceful. The mimic ritual had to remain convincing, and that meant making the Devourer believe it was getting
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The weight of Thorne’s words settled over them like a suffocating fog. A willing sacrifice.Samuel’s fingers curled into fists as he stared at the page in front of him. The ancient symbols meant nothing to him, but the implications were clear. To sever the Devourer’s connection to its feeding ground, someone had to die.“That’s not an option,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “There has to be another way.”Thorne leaned back in his chair, watching them with a measured gaze. “If there was, I would tell you. But Devourers are ancient creatures, bound by deep-rooted laws of existence. To break their hold, something of equal value must be given in return.”Vincent scoffed. “So you’re saying the only way to save Mercer is for one of us to die? Not happening.”Thorne sighed. “I understand your reluctance. But this is not a simple monster you can kill with bullets or fire. Devourers are entities of hunger and power. If you go in unprepared, you won’t just lose Mercer—you’ll all become part of
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Marcus kept one hand on the wheel while his other gripped his phone tightly. “We need to move fast,” he muttered. “The Brook family won’t just sit back and let us find Mercer first.”Samuel exhaled slowly. “Then we beat them to it. Whatever’s up there in that village, it’s dangerous. But Mercer is still alive. I can feel it.”Vincent scoffed from the backseat. “Feel it? Or just hoping?”Samuel ignored him. He wasn’t about to explain the gnawing pull in his chest, the unshakable certainty that Mercer was still out there, barely clinging to life.Sophia shifted uncomfortably beside him. “That thing in the village… It wasn’t human, was it?”Evelyn, who had been silent the entire drive, finally spoke. “No. It wasn’t.” Her voice was unusually quiet. “I’ve read about things like this before, but seeing it in person is something else.”Marcus frowned. “Read about it? What was it?”Evelyn hesitated before answering. “There are stories of ancient beings bound to certain places, creatures that
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The wind howled through the ruins, carrying an eerie whisper that sent a chill down Samuel’s spine. The inhuman eye within the darkness remained fixed on them, unblinking, filled with a hunger that made the air itself tremble.Sophia gripped Samuel’s arm, her breath shallow. “Samuel… what is that?”Vincent stepped forward, drawing his gun. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”Marcus cursed under his breath. “We need to get out of here. Now.”The trembling man on the ground clutched at Samuel’s sleeve. “You can’t fight it,” he rasped. “You can only run.”Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the shifting darkness. “No. We don’t run. We face it.”As if responding to her defiance, the shadows coiled like living tendrils, stretching toward them. Samuel barely had time to pull Sophia back before the darkness lashed out, striking the ground where she had just been standing. The impact left a deep crack in the earth, radiating an unnatural heat.“That’s not normal,” Vincent muttered.The villagers had
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The moment they stepped onto the tarmac, a biting cold wind greeted them, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something older, almost metallic, like the air before a storm.Samuel adjusted the collar of his coat, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain. He wasn’t the only one on edge. Sophia wrapped her arms around herself, glancing toward Marcus."Are you sure your contact knows where Mercer is?" she asked, her voice hushed.Marcus checked his phone, his fingers typing rapidly. “He says Mercer was last seen near a village deep in the mountains. But it won’t be easy to reach. The roads are dangerous, and the locals avoid that area.”Vincent scoffed. “Of course they do. Let me guess—ghost stories? Cursed land?”Evelyn, standing slightly apart from the group, tilted her head. “It’s not just stories,” she murmured. “There are things in these mountains older than any of us.”Vincent rolled his eyes. “Great. More cryptic warnings. Love that.”Marcus ignored him and motione
