Chapter 5 - The Sub-Basement
The heavy staple gun struck the mercenary directly in the bridge of his nose.
He screamed and lost his grip on the greasy elevator cable.
He plunged backward into the dark abyss of the shaft.
The second mercenary raised his weapon to fire at Emily.
Dante lunged up through the hatch and fired two precise shots.
The man slumped sideways and tangled securely in the suspension wires.
"Climb the cables to the nineteenth floor doors," Dante ordered.
Emily grabbed the thick, grease-covered steel ropes and pulled herself upward.
Her sensible skirt was completely ruined, and her hands were bleeding.
Dante followed closely behind her, covering their escape with his weapon.
They reached the nineteenth-floor doors and pried them open with sheer desperate force.
They tumbled onto the carpeted floor of the corporate accounting firm below.
The office was completely empty due to the fire alarms blaring throughout the building.
"We have to take the emergency stairs to the sub-basement," Dante said.
They ran through the maze of cubicles and pushed through the heavy fire exit doors.
They sprinted down nineteen flights of concrete stairs in complete silence.
Emily's lungs were burning by the time they reached the bottom.
They pushed through the final door into the dimly lit underground parking garage.
Dante's armored black SUV was waiting in the VIP section.
"Get the keys from the lockbox," Dante said, tossing her a small silver key.
Emily ran toward the concrete pillar while Dante checked the perimeter.
Suddenly, a massive figure stepped out from behind the SUV.
It was Tommy, the loyal enforcer who had been terrified of Dante just hours ago.
Tommy was holding a heavy shotgun pointed directly at Dante's chest.
"I am sorry, Boss," Tommy said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
"Put the gun down, Tommy," Dante ordered, raising his own pistol.
"Clara pays ten times better than you do," Tommy sneered.
"She promised me control of the South Side if I bring her your head."
Emily froze behind the concrete pillar.
She realized Tommy was the one who had helped Salvatore steal the three million dollars.
He had been working for Clara the entire time.
Dante did not lower his weapon.
"You always were a coward, Tommy," Dante said coldly.
"And you always were too trusting," Tommy replied, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Emily knew Dante could not shoot Tommy before the shotgun fired.
She had to create a distraction.
She looked at the emergency fire alarm station on the wall next to her.
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She grabbed a heavy fire extinguisher and smashed it violently into the glass alarm.
A blinding spray of chemical foam erupted from the ceiling directly above Tommy.
