Читать книгу The Seventeen - Joel Arcanjo - Страница 14

Chapter 5

Someone was setting him up. Someone that had seen the geared up cops come in and drag him out. Someone that hadn’t pointed and whispered, but instead had smiled. That someone didn’t like to think of themselves as someone at all. No. They were known as THE One. More specifically the number, One. The One behind the master plan. The One who had set everything in motion.

Had it really been that easy to take down a member of the most powerful family in New York? All it had taken was slitting the throat of some busy-body corporate nobody to do it. It had felt like One was right there doing the cutting again. Feeling her fear. The quickening of her pulse. The warmth of her fresh blood covering One’s hands. One had killed her.

One wasn’t anywhere near Tech Tower anymore. One was far away now. Walking the streets of New York, looking for a Cafe to enjoy an afternoon coffee. A good mood was something that the One cherished. It was always swift. Always fleeting. A drive-by of good energy. Then on to the next job. This was slightly different though. It was a huge deal. Taking down one third of America’s perfect family. The son. He seemed a smart kid, but naive. One had met him several times. He was impressive looking, but incredibly vain. The kind of guy that would check his reflection in his cell phone. His English accent had always gotten on One’s nerves. It grated, like nails on a chalkboard. God knows how his employees could put up with it. Ten minutes of that incessant noise was all One could take. Now that the incessant noise was locked up, One could sit in the glorious afternoon sun and bask in the plan’s success. At times like this life felt so simple. So easy. Time really did fly when everything was going right for you.

But One knew better. One had seen it all before. The slow rise to the top and the inevitable crash back to earth. The group One led had no official name. It was not a gang because it operated under the radar. It was a collection of seventeen of the most powerful people in New York City. Their aim was to keep the rich richer and let the poor fend for themselves. They did this by identifying individuals or corporations that were a potential danger to them, find their weak spot and strike fast. A cheating partner, unpaid taxes or a hidden secret. It didn’t really matter. They found it.

No major deals happened without them knowing about it. The group had been founded three years previously by an anonymous benefactor they called Zero. Zero was their voice and One was their face. No-one had ever seen Zero’s face. All they had ever heard was Zero’s electronically altered voice giving them instructions. Many had questioned why they should be led by an anonymous coward. Those that had questioned were found days later face down in the Hudson River. But Zero had conceded that a leader with a face was necessary. The position of One was born. The Seventeen elected their leader. Even after being elected by their peers, their position was not guaranteed. Zero would then test them to judge their suitability for the job. If they passed the test, they were One. The first One had lasted an impressive three years. The position had been vacated as One had left overseas on a mission for Zero and had not returned. That is when the present One had been appointed.

A worthy successor. A fearless leader. Greatly respected by the Seventeen. Zero had sent four tests One’s way and One had obliterated the first three with ease. This was the fourth and last. The toughest, true, but child’s play for a mind like One’s. The request was simple. “Get the kid, Lex Archer, sent to jail in any way possible”. Zero had told the Seventeen that he believed the Archer family to be becoming too powerful. They needed bringing down. Their son being imprisoned would be the start.

Zero’s instructions were clear. Fail to have him sent away and he was not worthy to be One. But there was no way One would fail One would bring down the entire Archer family. Lex would be just the first.