Chapter 9 - The Dead-Man's Switch
Damian Sterling stepped casually out of the shadows onto the interior balcony, looking like a king observing his captured peasants.
At least twenty heavily armed mercenaries stood shoulder-to-shoulder behind him, their assault rifles aimed directly down at Gabriel and his family.
"I must admit, Gabriel, your loyalty to your family is both incredibly touching and completely pathetic," Sterling mocked loudly.
Gabriel stood perfectly still, positioning his large body to shield both Sarah and Mia from the imminent hail of bullets.
"You have me exactly where you want me, Sterling," Gabriel said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"Let the women leave, and you can have my life and my empire."
Sterling laughed, a harsh, grating sound that echoed unpleasantly off the marble floors.
"I am going to kill all of you, Gabriel, but first, I want the accountant to hand over my titanium drive," Sterling demanded, pointing a customized pistol directly at Mia.
Mia did not cower behind Gabriel's broad shoulders; instead, she stepped bravely into the open light.
She held the sleek titanium USB drive high in the air for Sterling to see clearly.
"You can have the drive, Mr. Sterling, but it will not do you any good," Mia announced, her voice incredibly steady despite the laser sights dancing across her chest.
Sterling frowned, leaning slightly over the marble railing.
"And why exactly is that?" Sterling sneered condescendingly.
"Because my father taught me how to write a digital dead-man's switch," Mia lied with absolute, undeniable confidence.
"Before we breached your gate, I programmed a remote server to automatically email your entire master ledger to the FBI, the IRS, and every major news outlet in Chicago."
Sterling's arrogant smile vanished instantly, his face turning a sickly, pale shade of gray.
"If I do not type a specific cancellation password into my secure phone in exactly sixty seconds, your entire life is completely over," Mia bluffed beautifully.
The heavily armed mercenaries on the balcony shifted nervously, slightly lowering their weapons as panic rippled through their ranks.
They knew that if the ledger went public, they would all be hunted down by the federal government.
Sterling hesitated, entirely unsure if the quiet accountant possessed the actual technical skills to execute such a devastating threat.
That single second of hesitation was the only opening Gabriel Romano ever needed.
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Gabriel smoothly pulled a compact, high-yield explosive charge from his tactical vest and hurled it directly upward at the balcony's central structural pillar.
"Get down!" Gabriel roared, throwing his massive body over Mia and Sarah just as the explosive violently detonated.
