Chapter 6 - The Midnight War
Black armored vehicles swerved into the narrow alleyway, blocking the exit from the burning warehouse.
Heavily armed mercenaries piled out of the vehicles, raising their tactical rifles in perfect unison.
Marcus pulled Liam behind the sturdy engine block of the delivery truck just as bullets shredded the windshield.
"I recorded Cassandra's secret conversation with the board of directors," Marcus shouted over the deafening gunfire.
"She plans to liquidate your entire company tomorrow morning and flee the country with the cash."
Liam checked the cylinder of his revolver, realizing he only had six shots to survive this nightmare.
He peeked around the side of the truck and fired twice, hitting the headlights of the lead vehicle.
The blinding lights shattered, plunging the alleyway into temporary darkness.
"We cannot hold them off forever," Liam yelled, ducking as concrete chipped away dangerously near his head.
"We just need a big distraction," Marcus replied, pulling a heavy canvas bag from the truck's cab.
Marcus unzipped the bag, revealing stacks of banded hundred-dollar bills.
"This is the severance package Cassandra gave me to keep my mouth shut," Marcus laughed.
He grabbed a handful of cash and threw it directly into the roaring flames of the warehouse fire.
The mercenaries stopped firing for a fraction of a second, completely confused by the sight of burning money.
Marcus threw the rest of the bag onto the hood of the truck, exposing millions of dollars to the open air.
"If you want your final paycheck, come and get it before it burns!" Marcus bellowed into the dark.
Greed easily overtook discipline, and several mercenaries broke cover, rushing forward to grab the cash.
Liam used the chaos to sprint toward a narrow fire escape ladder on the adjacent brick building.
He climbed as fast as his exhausted muscles would allow, pulling himself onto the flat tar roof.
Marcus followed right behind him, heavily kicking the ladder down to prevent anyone from following them.
They sprinted across the rooftops of the industrial district until the sound of gunfire faded completely into the distance.
As they collapsed safely on a distant rooftop, Liam pulled the yellowed documents from under his shirt.
He handed them to Marcus, explaining that these papers were the key to destroying Cassandra legally.
Marcus studied the signatures under the pale moonlight and suddenly turned incredibly pale.
"Liam, these are not just basic property deeds," Marcus stammered, his hands shaking wildly.
"This document heavily implies your mother did not just own Cassandra's estate."
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Marcus pointed a trembling finger to a blood-stained fingerprint at the bottom of the last page.
"Your mother was the original architect of the deadly criminal syndicate that Cassandra's father took over."
