Chapter 6 - The Ghost in the Room
The man in the panic room raised his weapon directly at my chest.
I instinctively shielded June, preparing for a fatal impact.
The red emergency lights illuminated the man’s face, and my heart completely stopped.
It was Major Vance, my former commanding officer from my deployment in overseas intelligence.
“Major?” I whispered, utterly confused.
Vance lowered his weapon slightly, offering a grim, apologetic smile.
“Hello, Nora,” he said smoothly.
“I see you found the drive.”
I took a slow step backward, my hand creeping toward the pistol I had taken from Wesley.
“What are you doing here, Vance?” I demanded.
He explained that the military didn't pay enough to cover his gambling debts.
He had been working as a shadow fixer for the syndicate for the past five years.
He was the one who initially approached the Pembroke family to steal the drone blueprints.
“Hand over the microchip, Nora, and I will let you and the baby walk out the back exit,” he promised.
I knew he was lying.
Tactical operatives never leave loose ends, especially officers who can identify them.
I heard the distant sound of heavy gunfire erupting in the grand foyer.
My father and his men were actively engaging the syndicate mercenaries.
I had to make a choice in a fraction of a second.
I pretended to reach into my pocket for the microchip.
Instead, I grabbed the heavy tactical flashlight hooked to my belt.
I clicked it to the highest strobe setting and threw it directly into Vance’s eyes.
He shouted in pain, firing blindly as the blinding light disoriented him.
I dove behind a heavy steel supply crate, dodging the spray of bullets.
June screamed in my arms, terrified by the deafening noise.
May you like
I raised Wesley’s pistol, took careful aim at Vance's knee, and pulled the trigger.
The gun simply clicked.
