Chapter 5 - Fire and Ash
Liam stared down the dark barrel of the suppressed pistol.
Cassandra walked slowly into the storage unit, her high heels clicking loudly against the cold concrete floor.
"My father warned me about that lockbox right before he died," she sneered.
"He said your mother was a pathetic maid who thought she could claim half our empire just because of some old signatures."
Liam clutched the yellowed documents tightly against his chest.
"These papers prove your entire legacy is built on completely stolen money," Liam fired back.
"If this goes public, the government will seize every single asset you just stole from me."
Cassandra laughed, a harsh and grating sound that echoed off the metal walls.
She did not aim the gun at Liam; instead, she aimed it directly at the wooden table next to him.
A bright muzzle flash illuminated the room as a bullet struck a large red gasoline canister Liam had not noticed.
Fuel spilled rapidly across the dusty floor, soaking deep into the old wood.
Cassandra pulled a silver lighter from her pocket and flicked it open.
"A legacy cannot be ruined if the evidence burns to ash," she whispered softly.
She tossed the lit lighter onto the massive puddle of gasoline.
Flames erupted instantly, creating a wall of intense heat between Liam and the only exit.
Cassandra turned on her heel and walked out, violently locking the heavy rolling metal door behind her.
Liam coughed violently as thick black smoke quickly filled the small enclosed space.
He frantically shoved the yellowed documents under his shirt to protect them from the roaring flames.
He looked around desperately for anything he could use to break the padlock on the metal door.
The fire climbed the walls, melting the plastic light fixtures and dropping molten debris from the ceiling.
Liam grabbed a heavy steel pipe from a broken shelf and swung it wildly at the rolling door.
The metal dented, but the reinforced lock held completely firm.
His lungs burned as oxygen was rapidly sucked out of the room by the growing inferno.
Liam dropped to his knees, feeling his consciousness slowly slipping away.
Suddenly, he heard the screech of heavy tires outside and a massive crash.
A heavy delivery truck reversed violently, smashing completely through the metal door and tearing it off its hinges.
Fresh air rushed in, clearing enough smoke for Liam to finally see his rescuer.
The driver stepped out of the battered truck wearing a tailored suit and a grim expression.
It was Marcus, Liam's former business partner who had supposedly betrayed him earlier that night.
Marcus pulled Liam from the burning wreckage and handed him a fully loaded revolver.
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"Cassandra lied to both of us about the buyout money," Marcus yelled over the roaring flames.
"She didn't just poison your mother; she placed a massive bounty on my family, and the assassins are pulling up right now."
