Chapter 9: The Trap Springs
The heavy iron crowbar cleaved through the empty air where Maya had been standing just a millisecond prior. With fluid, blinding speed, Maya ducked beneath the swing, spun inside Henderson’s massive guard, and slammed her palm upward into the base of his sternum. The impact knocked the wind out of the coach in a violent, ragged gasp. Henderson stumbled backward, his grip on the crowbar loosening instantly as pain flared through his chest.
Before he could recover his balance, Maya swept her leg across the floor, kicking his boots out from under him. The massive man crashed hard onto the cold linoleum floor, the crowbar clattering away into the darkness. Maya stepped over him, planting her sneaker firmly against his chest, pinning him to the ground without exerting visible effort.
Henderson glared up at her, coughing and wheezing, his face purple with exertion and fury. "Get... get off me, you little psycho," he spat out, struggling uselessly against her weight.
"You mentioned my father," Maya said, her voice dropping to a terrifying, quiet whisper that cut through the humming emergency generators. "You admitted your involvement in the Chicago municipal graft scheme. And the microphone pinned inside my zip-up hoodie just transmitted every single word straight to the state prosecutor's secure server."
Henderson froze, his eyes widening in absolute horror as he stared at the small black lapel clip resting near the collar of Maya's jacket. "You... you recorded that?"
"Every syllable," Maya replied coldly. "The state attorney general’s office has already dispatched federal marshals to secure the school perimeter. Your little empire is finished, Coach."
Sirens began to wail faintly in the distance, growing louder by the second as flashing red and blue lights cut through the high gothic windows of the front foyer. The heavy front doors rattled as boots hit the concrete steps.
Henderson stopped struggling, the absolute reality of his defeat sinking into his bones as he realized there was no way out. "You planned all of this," he whispered hoarsely. "You transferred here specifically to hunt us down."
May you like
"I told you," Maya said, stepping off his chest and adjusting her jacket with practiced composure. "Ghosts see everything."
She turned and began walking down the corridor toward the main entrance, leaving the defeated coach on the floor. But as she rounded the corner into the main lobby, she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing by the shattered front doors, blocking her exit, was someone she never expected to see—someone holding a thick manila folder labeled TOP SECRET: LIN FAMILY ASSETS.
