Chapter 4 - The Ashes of Authority
The bullet shattered the server rack just an inch from my right ear.
Sparks rained down on my shoulders as the glass server door exploded outward.
I dove behind a heavy mahogany conference table for cover.
I returned fire, shooting blindly toward the doorway to keep the corrupt captain pinned down.
My bullets shredded the expensive drywall and shattered the clubhouse windows.
I snatched my flash drive from the sparking terminal before the system completely crashed.
I scrambled toward the emergency exit window located at the back of the room.
I threw a heavy leather chair through the glass and vaulted out into the warm night air.
The captain shouted curses from inside the building, blindly firing shots into the darkness.
I sprinted across the perfectly manicured golf course, disappearing into the thick line of trees.
I knew I could never go back to my own police department for help.
I was entirely on my own against a billionaire judge and his psychotic wife.
I checked my phone to call the hospital and check on my daughter.
The screen was completely dead, jammed by a localized signal blocker.
I rushed back to where I had secretly parked my civilian truck.
When I rounded the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks.
My truck was entirely engulfed in roaring orange flames.
The intense heat pushed me backward as the tires popped loudly from the extreme pressure.
Standing on the opposite sidewalk was Diana Harrington, holding a small remote detonator.
She was wearing a pristine white tennis outfit, completely unbothered by the blazing inferno.
She smiled warmly at me like a neighbor offering a freshly baked pie.
She shouted over the roaring fire that I was officially in violation of the neighborhood parking rules.
I raised my weapon to end her reign of terror right then and there.
May you like
A sharp, cold piece of metal pressed firmly against the back of my neck.
A deep voice whispered that if I twitched, my head would be blown completely off.
