Chapter 9 - The Ticking Vault
Julian touched the leather folder, and a massive electrical shock sent him violently to his knees.
The detonator switch flew from his spasming hand and clattered across the concrete.
I sprinted forward, diving toward the detonator before any of his remaining guards could react.
Marco crashed through the warehouse skylight on a tactical rope, raining automatic fire down on the mercenaries.
I reached the detonator and smashed it beneath the heavy heel of my boot.
I rushed over to the structural pillar and desperately cut the thick ropes binding Elena and Mia.
Elena collapsed into my arms, tears streaming down her bruised face as she whispered my name.
I held her tightly, pulling Mia against my chest as bullets sparked off the concrete around us.
I told them that I loved them and that I would never let them out of my sight again.
Julian suddenly groaned from the floor, recovering from the electrical shock.
He pulled a secondary, hardwired trigger device from his coat pocket.
He screamed that if he could not have the empire, nobody would.
He pressed the red button, activating a backup timer on the C4 blocks attached to the pillar.
A digital clock illuminated in the dark, loudly counting down from thirty seconds.
I realized the explosion would bring the entire massive roof of the warehouse down upon us.
Marco yelled for me to run as he provided covering fire against the last remaining guards.
I grabbed Elena's hand, scooped Mia up into my arms, and ran desperately toward the reinforced steel loading vault.
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We dove inside the thick vault just as the digital timer ticked down to three seconds.
Julian stood in the center of the room, laughing like a madman as he accepted his fiery fate.
