Chapter 14 - The Judas Kiss
The heavy steel gears of the bunker’s primary entrance began grinding loudly, slowly exposing us to the heavily armed cartel waiting above.
Dominic sprinted toward the main override terminal, desperately typing in cancellation codes, but the system locked him out completely.
"It is a hardwired override!" Dominic shouted over the blaring alarms. "Someone physically cut the security relay in the generator room!"
I did not wait for him to give me an order. I grabbed a tactical combat knife from the armory table and sprinted down the narrow metal corridor.
The generator room was shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from the sparks of a violently severed power cable.
I crept silently along the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, listening for the slightest sound.
A shadow shifted near the primary breaker box, the dim light catching the unmistakable uniform of Dominic's personal elite guard.
It was Marcus, the man who had supposedly been protecting Noah’s bedroom for the past three months.
"Step away from the panel, Marcus," I demanded, stepping into the light with the heavy combat knife gripped tightly in my hand.
Marcus turned around, a cruel, mocking smile twisting his face as he pulled a suppressed pistol from his tactical vest.
"Nothing personal, Clara," Marcus sneered, aiming the weapon directly at my chest. "But the Volkovs offered me ten million to open the door."
He pulled the trigger, but I was already moving, my survival instincts completely taking over my rational mind.
I dove behind a massive steel turbine as the bullet sparked violently against the metal, deafening me with the ricochet.
"You cannot hide in here forever, little princess!" Marcus taunted, his heavy boots echoing slowly on the metal grating as he stalked toward me.
I noticed a heavy, high-pressure steam valve positioned directly above where Marcus was walking, its pressure gauge completely maxed out.
I waited until his shadow crossed my hiding spot, then I threw the combat knife with every ounce of strength I possessed.
The blade did not hit Marcus; it struck the rusted release lever of the steam valve perfectly, snapping it completely off.
A massive, violent geyser of scalding steam erupted directly into Marcus’s face, causing him to drop his weapon and scream in agonizing pain.
I lunged forward, sweeping his legs out from under him and driving my knee brutally into his chest, knocking him completely unconscious on the floor.
I scrambled to the broken breaker box, violently ripping the rogue bypass wire out of the terminal and plunging the system back into default lockdown.
The grinding of the blast doors abruptly stopped, sealing completely shut just as the Volkov mercenaries reached the threshold.
Dominic ran into the generator room, his weapon raised, only to find me standing over the unconscious traitor, covered in grease and sweat.
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He looked at the neutralized threat, then looked at me, a profound mixture of awe and absolute terror in his dark eyes.
"You truly are Arthur Reed's daughter," Dominic whispered, realizing I was no longer the innocent nanny he had sworn to protect.
