Chapter 9 - The Blood Oath
Ethan watched Arthur step toward Claire with the deadly syringe.
He knew he only had a fraction of a second to act before Marcus pulled the trigger.
Ethan violently threw the heavy black ledger directly at Marcus's face.
The book struck Marcus squarely in the nose, causing his shot to go wide and hit the ceiling.
Ethan did not wait for him to recover.
He tackled Arthur to the ground, pinning the man's wrist to the cold marble floor.
The syringe skittered away into the darkness of the vault.
Claire scrambled backward, pressing herself against the metal wall in pure terror.
Marcus recovered quickly, aiming his weapon at Ethan's back.
"Stop moving or she dies first!" Marcus yelled, shifting his aim toward Claire.
Ethan froze immediately, raising his hands in surrender.
Arthur laughed, pushing Ethan off and dusting his expensive suit.
"You always were too sentimental for a billionaire, Ethan," Arthur mocked.
Arthur walked over to pick up the fallen ledger, his eyes filled with triumph.
Suddenly, the heavy titanium vault door began to swing shut.
Claire had pressed the emergency lockdown button on the inside control panel.
Marcus lunged for the door, but it was too late.
The massive metal slab slammed shut, locking Arthur and Marcus inside the impenetrable vault.
Ethan and Claire stood on the outside, breathing heavily in the quiet hallway.
Claire was holding the black ledger tightly against her chest.
She had swapped it with a dummy book while Ethan was fighting Arthur.
"You are incredible," Ethan breathed, pulling her into a fierce hug.
They rushed out of the bank and into the cold city streets, finally holding the weapon to destroy Vivian.
Ethan's burner phone suddenly began vibrating in his pocket.
He answered it, expecting Marcus to be begging for mercy from inside the vault.
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Instead, he heard the terrified weeping of a young woman.
"If you give the police that ledger, Ethan, your little sister is going to die," Vivian whispered through the phone.
