But whispers had their own power. A governor denied complicity and then found his phone full of accounts he could not justify. A municipal judge saw donors named in checks that linked back to shell companies; the judge's clerk was suddenly indisposed. Every small exposure forced others to choose: hide and risk exposure, or reveal and risk retribution.
Cain watched the chessboard rearrange itself. "We're not just cutting money," he told the group one night. "We're forcing choices. They can swallow the shame, or they can fight. Either way, we get movement."
Roselle's answer was a soft, dangerous laugh. "And if they fight?"
"Then we are not the only ones who can burn bright," Hunter said, voice close and controlled. "We have allies in places we didn't know to look. People who were afraid to speak until they saw someone else strike."
