Clara laughed—a cold, sharp sound that cut through the tension in the room. "Then you leave me no choice."
She raised her weapon, but Zara was already moving. She tackled Clara to the ground just as the shot rang out, the bullet embedding itself in the wall above where Sasha had been standing.
Chaos erupted. Enzo tackled one of Clara's agents, while Maya grabbed Sasha and pulled her to safety. The farmers, instead of running, stood their ground forming a wall between Clara's remaining men and the women and children in the room.
"Enough!" Zara shouted, standing over Clara with her weapon pointed at her head. "It's over. We have evidence of everything your corruption, your plans, your crimes. The whole country will know what you've done."
"Will they?" Clara said, a bitter smile on her face. "I have people in every news outlet, every government office. By tomorrow morning, I'll be the victim attacked by terrorists led by you. You'll be hunted like animals, and my plans will move forward exactly as I've always intended."
She was right Zara knew she was right. Even with all the evidence they'd gathered, Clara's influence ran too deep. They needed something more something that couldn't be ignored or covered up.
"Then we'll make sure the whole world sees the truth," Zara said, nodding to Maya.
Maya pulled out her tablet and activated a live stream, pointing the camera at Clara. "This is Maya Chen, reporting live from Willowdale in the Southern Province. With me is Zara Martinez, who's about to expose the truth about The Root