Metal creaked as the elevator on the outside of the building ascended. Footsteps pounded up the stairs several floors below.

“Who’s that?” Nia asked.

“I don’t think they’re friends,” Benjamin said.

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Please pick up.”

No one did, so Benjamin left a voicemail.

“Hey, Kelly, it’s me. I need a favor…”

By the time he finished his message, the elevator was coming to a stop on the eleventh floor. Footsteps echoed through the level as people emerged from the stairwell on the opposite side.

Nia, Ezra, Samuel, and Benjamin all drew together into a loose circle in front of Neil. Walls obscured their view of the approaching people.

A small horde of men armed with guns stepped out from behind the walls on either side, about twenty in total. They wore a variety of garments, from camouflage vests to tank tops to black armor, some with sunglasses or baseball caps. They blocked any way out, sealing Neil, Samuel, Ezra, Nia, and Benjamin between the two walls of a bare corridor. The hanging yellow bulbs gave their hostile faces a warm glow.

A few men parted, and Daniel Smith strode through. He had a gun in his belt, but wore the same button-down shirt and khakis he’d had at the cathedral.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he said to Benjamin. “Now just what is going on here?”

“I was going to ask you the same question,” Benjamin replied. “Why are you here?”

Daniel’s gaze moved to Neil, who still lay crumpled and bloodied against the wall. “Brother Neil asked us to come here at six thirty to collect something special. He also said to come prepared for a fight, in case something should happen. His message was scant on details, but… it got me intrigued.”

Neil pushed himself to his knees. He wiped some of the blood off his face with his sleeve and stood up, grasping the wall for support.

“I—I took this man’s children,” Neil said, pointing to Samuel. “He’s one of them. He’s a Hound.” He spat blood in Samuel’s direction. “He came here with a ransom. Three million dollars and the personal information of every East Hound.” Neil nodded at the briefcase in Nia’s hand. “He was supposed to come alone.”

Daniel smiled. “Well then, it’s a good thing you called for us.” He rested a hand on the grip of his gun and looked at Nia. “You can hand over that ransom now, sweetheart.”

Benjamin’s skin prickled. Nia exchanged a look with him.

“I think we’ll pass,” Benjamin said.

The men around Daniel raised their guns. Among them was Clayton, the gray-haired man Benjamin had fought at the cathedral. He looked all too eager to pull the trigger.

“Might want to think about that again,” Daniel said.

“And you might want to look around,” Benjamin replied.

Daniel’s sickly sweet smile faded, and he and his companions looked around the floor.

Unnoticed by the men, thirty figures clad in dark garments had come from the stairwell and spread throughout the level. They silently emerged from behind walls and supports, pointing guns at the Red Brothers.

Akari Kojima stepped out from behind a wall, leveling a shotgun at Daniel Smith. She wore a bulletproof vest over a navy suit.

Daniel grimaced. “The Hounds themselves, come out to play.” He glared at Benjamin, Nia, and Samuel. “What is this?”

“Insurance,” Benjamin replied. “Just in case you were already here, or decided to show up late to the party.”

Daniel raised his voice. “Brothers, let’s show them what we’re made of!”

The Red Brothers turned to face the East Hounds, all raising their guns.

“Fire a single shot, and I will blast your head off your shoulders, Smith,” Akari called.

He bristled, drawing his pistol from his belt.

Samuel pulled Ezra to him. He took a gun from under his sweater and held it ready at his side.

With a furious yell, Clayton raised his rifle and started firing.

Akari was hit in the chest, and the shotgun went off, blasting a hole in a support next to Daniel.

The whole floor lit up with the lightning of gunfire. Benjamin and Nia flattened themselves against the wall, and Samuel pushed Ezra behind him, pointing his gun ahead.

Neil tried to make a run toward the Red Brothers, but Samuel grappled him from behind. They both hit the floor, and Samuel’s gun flew from his grip. Neil reached out toward the weapon, but Samuel elbowed him in the face and grabbed it.

Samuel planted the gun on the floor next to Neil’s head and fired a shot. The shock and sound were enough to freeze Neil, and half-deafen him.

On either side of the corridor, Red Brothers fell, some wounded and some dead. Bullets riddled walls and columns, spraying dust and chips of concrete through the air.

From behind a thick support, Akari fired her shotgun, killing a man right next to Daniel Smith. Daniel crouched and fired back, a murderous expression on his face. A bulb above Daniel was hit and shattered, raining down shards of glass.

Daniel yelled in pain and rolled to the side, wiping blood from cuts on his face. He fired indiscriminately in Akari’s direction until his gun was empty and tossed it aside.

He took a pistol from the belt of a barely breathing man lying beside him and stood up, striding into the corridor.

Samuel shoved the stunned Neil against the wall and started to get up.

“Wait!” Benjamin shouted.

As Samuel stood, Daniel shot him in the shoulder, then again in the side. Samuel collapsed, dropping his gun.

“Don’t move!” Daniel yelled over the thunder of gunfire, pointing his gun at Benjamin and Nia. Ezra stood close behind his father’s fallen body, frozen.

Daniel grabbed Ezra by the arm and pulled him away. Ezra fought back, trying to wrench his arm out of Daniel’s grip.

Daniel raised his gun to Ezra’s head and pressed the barrel against his temple.

Benjamin watched in horror, motionless, as Daniel moved to stand behind Ezra and walked forward. As they emerged from the corridor, Daniel shouted, “I’ve got the boy!”

Gunfire ceased.

The floor fell silent. Daniel’s footsteps crunched on broken glass as he stepped completely into the open, and stopped inches from the edge of the floor. He tightened his grip on Ezra’s arm and kept the gun at his head.

“I will not hesitate to kill this boy if any of you makes a move.”

Akari lowered her shotgun. The Red Brothers looked to their leader, quiet, and the East Hounds waited, watching from behind cover.

On the floor, Samuel looked up at his son, clutching his side, eyes watering with pain.

The wind whistled through the open walls. The setting sun reflected in Daniel’s glasses and the beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Daniel locked eyes with Nia. “Give me the ransom.”

“Do it,” Benjamin whispered.

Nia slowly walked to Daniel and laid the heavy briefcase at his feet. As she backed away, Daniel motioned with his head to one of the nearby Brothers, the bald speaker from the cathedral. “Brother Lee. Check if it’s all there.”

The man opened the briefcase. Most of it was filled with wrapped stacks of cash. There was a hard drive as well, which the bald man examined. He took out some of the cash and did a rough count of the money, and nodded to Daniel.

Daniel looked to Samuel. “Is it real? All of it?”

“The money, the information, it’s all real.”

“If you’re lying, your son here dies.”

“He’s not lying,” Benjamin cut in. “I told him to bring the real thing.”

Samuel rose to his knees. “I swear on my life, it’s real. Just take it. Leave my son.”

The bald man picked up the briefcase.

Daniel didn’t let Ezra go. “We are going to walk out of this building. You will not follow us, you will not fight us. We’re taking the ransom, Brother Neil, and the boy with us. Again, try anything, and he dies. Then this whole affair will have been for nothing, right? Keep that in mind.”

The rest of the Red Brothers stood up, and those who couldn’t were helped by their companions. The dead were carried by the living.

Clayton, blood dripping from a wound in his leg, helped another man get Neil to his feet. Neil cast a burning look down at Samuel as he passed him to join the Red Brothers.

The men fell into a group behind Daniel and Ezra. As they began to move toward the stairwell, Daniel met Benjamin’s gaze. A victorious smirk spread across his face.

Samuel leaned against the wall, a tear sliding down his cheek.

Nia watched as Ezra and the Red Brothers disappeared from view, distraught. “We have to do something,” she whispered. “Ben. Please. You can’t let this happen.”

Benjamin walked to the end of the corridor with her. Along with the silent East Hounds, they watched the group descend the stairs and vanish from sight.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he said in a low voice. “We’ve done all we can.”

Benjamin leaned against a support at the edge of the floor and closed his eyes. It was out of his hands now. And hard as it was to accept that he was no longer the one in control, it was his only choice. He had done all he could. Now, it was left in the hands of others.

The East Hounds emerged from hiding to survey the damage and help the injured. Two of them attended to Samuel’s gunshot wounds.

About when Daniel, Ezra, Neil, and the other Red Brothers would have been arriving on the ground floor, Benjamin opened his eyes.

Part of him didn’t want to look. If his bet hadn’t paid off, he would only see his failure staring him in the face. But if it had…

Benjamin walked to Nia and took her hand. “Come on.”

He took a deep breath and walked with her to the edge of the floor, where only an orange safety net lay between them and a long drop to the park below. The sun was setting on the city skyline, bathing the darkening gray sky in pale pink and orange.

Benjamin closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the footsteps of the group far below, still not looking down. He prayed it had worked.

And then, as the Red Brothers emerged onto the ground floor, he heard a voice call out through a megaphone.

“This is the NYPD! Halt and drop your weapons.”

Benjamin opened his eyes and looked down. Nia squeezed his hand.

Through the orange netting, they could see the park eleven stories below. Dozens of officers emerged from under the trees, followed by a line of patrol cars driving through the open fence. The streets around the park were barricaded, emergency service unit vehicles lining the road.

The group of Red Brothers emerged from the ground floor, stepping out onto the grass and slowing.

The searing bright lights of the construction site blazed on, bathing the small horde of men in white light. They froze, shielding their eyes, and started to disperse, some fleeing back into the building. But moments later, they came stumbling back out, followed by a line of police in riot gear.

The skyscraper was surrounded.

The Red Brothers moved out into the park, forming a circle. Patrol cars peeled off from the central path and formed a semicircle around them. Black-clad police emerged and took cover behind the cars, pointing guns out at the group. An officer continued to order surrender over the megaphone.

One by one, the Brothers threw down their guns. Eventually, the only armed men left was Daniel Smith, who held the gun to Ezra’s head, watching the police close in.

Daniel looked up at the tower. He locked eyes with Benjamin.

Then, he threw the gun to the ground.

The officers moved in, breaking up the group and handcuffing each member. Some, including Clayton, tried to resist, but were quickly overwhelmed and restrained. A black, armored truck rolled into the park, and the men, surrounded by police, were escorted in through its back doors. Neil was the last one in. He hung his head in defeat as he was pushed into the truck, unable to look back up at Benjamin. The doors shut behind him with a bang.

Up on the eleventh floor of the tower, everyone had gathered at the edge to look down. Samuel was supported by another member of the Hounds.

Benjamin couldn’t help smiling. His bet had paid off.

As the armored truck pulled away, the exterior elevator arrived on the eleventh floor. The grated door opened, and Ezra emerged, escorted by two officers. He rushed to his father and hugged him, trembling. Leaning on the shoulder of his companion, Samuel hugged Ezra back, tears in his eyes.

Police in black poured out from the stairwell and spread out. The East Hounds, surrounded, looked to Akari. She threw down her shotgun and placed her hands behind her head.

As the officers took the East Hounds away, Akari shot a grim look at Benjamin. “You work with them?”

“Sorry I lied,” Benjamin said. “But I did appreciate the help with the Brotherhood.”

Akari was led away, head held high. A medical team entered with several stretchers, onto which they loaded injured Hounds.

“How’d you get them to show up and help?” Nia asked. “They’re a criminal group, right?”

“I got a favor from an acquaintance,” Benjamin said. He was now in even greater debt to Michael Weston, but he didn’t mind. “He passed the word on to the Hounds, told them they had a chance to save a kid kidnapped by the Brotherhood, maybe even fight the Brotherhood themselves. So they showed up.”

“And the cavalcade?”

Benjamin smiled. The elevator had returned, with a familiar face onboard. “Another favor. From a friend.”

Accompanied by half a dozen officers, Kelly Mitchell walked out of the elevator, looking somewhat disoriented. He spotted Benjamin and Nia and rushed over to them.

“Hey, hi,” Kelly said, out of breath. “It’s good to see you.”

“You got my call,” Benjamin said.

“I did. But, man, this was hard to pull off, so you—you owe me a coffee, or something.”

“Any time.”

Kelly glanced around, running a hand through his long, brown hair. His gray jacket was half-zipped over a light blue button-down shirt and khakis. “It’s quite something. You know, they didn’t believe me at first, when I told them what you’d asked for. But then again, fifty armed hostiles in one building… that’s—that’s a lot.”

“You pulled all this together?” Nia asked, incredulous.

“And I don’t want to have to do it again, please,” Kelly said. “I wasn’t even supposed to work today. Couldn’t you have called 911?”

“This was a special case,” Benjamin said. “I trusted you to get this whole force together in time, not an operator who probably wouldn’t believe me. And who knows, maybe they’ll let you take Monday off.”

“Were you—were you investigating this case all by yourself?”

“I was. That was a big mistake.”

“I thought… didn’t you say you did your best work solo?”

“I can’t be right all the time, can I?”

A wry smile spread across Kelly’s face. “So, does that mean…”

“I’ll try to keep you in the loop next time,” Benjamin said. “No last-minute calls.”

Kelly nodded. “I’m glad you’re okay. Both of you, I mean. You’re…”

“Nia. Benjamin’s my husband.”

“Right, right.” Kelly took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and pointed at Benjamin. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“I’ll be there.”

Past Kelly, Samuel was being helped onto a stretcher. Benjamin strode to his side.

Ezra stood a few feet away, held back by a pair of officers, tears in his eyes. When his father looked over at him, he clenched his jaw and straightened up.

Samuel reached out to Ezra, but one of the officers blocked his arm.

“Hey,” Benjamin said. “That’s his son.”

The officer grudgingly let Ezra move forward, and Samuel took his hand. “I’m sorry,” Samuel said in a low voice.

Samuel looked up at Benjamin. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. But your son will be taken care of. I’ll make sure of that.”

Samuel nodded, bitter pain on his face. The medics holding the stretcher lifted him up and headed for the elevator.

Ezra watched his father disappear as the elevator descended.

“Don’t worry about him,” Benjamin said in a quiet voice. “He’ll recover.”

“What’s gonna happen to him? After that?”

“I don’t know. But you’ll see him again.”

They turned and looked out at the city. The sun was finally dipping below the horizon, the cloudy sky growing dark, the skyline silhouetted against a rich orange glow. A chilly breeze blew through the open walls of the skyscraper.

The case was closed.

After lies and danger and death, after venturing into the city’s underworld and back, after nearly dying and nearly giving up, the hunt was over. Ezra Martin was safe, even if his future was uncertain. Neil was in custody, along with Daniel Smith, Akari Kojima, Samuel Martin, and dozens of other criminals and extremists. The Red Brotherhood and the East Hounds were far from ended; Benjamin had no doubt their roots lay deeper in the city, their ranks large enough to rebound. But for a day’s work, Benjamin thought the victory was good enough.

Benjamin checked his watch. He smiled.

He’d kept his promise. He’d be home in time for dinner.

Monday came quickly.

Benjamin Adelson stepped into his office, taking a deep breath. It was back to work as usual. He was glad to be working with a team again.

He hung his dark green jacket on the wall and walked to his desk. A new badge lay in the middle, a replacement for the one the Red Brotherhood had stolen from him at the cathedral. A sticky note was attached.

This one’s complimentary. Don’t lose it again.

He smiled, took the badge, and sat at his desk.

No sooner had he sat down than the door to his office swung open.

Kelly Mitchell strode in and dropped a folder on the mahogany desk. “It’s for you.”

Benjamin leaned forward in his chair and opened the folder. “It’s for us.”

Kelly smiled. “Yeah, of course.”

Benjamin flipped through the file.

“So, you think we can crack it?”

“I think so,” Benjamin said. “But we’ll need some help. This one looks… interesting. Different. I’ve got a feeling it won’t be easy.”

“Well, I—I never said it would be.”

“And where would the fun be if it were?” Benjamin gave a sly smile, turning a page.

Kelly shook his head. “No such thing as an unbeatable game, right?”

“We’ll see.”

Benjamin closed the folder and stood up.

“Now let’s get to work.”