Chapter 8 - The Escape
I thrashed violently against the stranger's incredibly strong grip, kicking my legs wildly as we descended the dark concrete stairs.
The man finally released me when we reached the damp, cold basement of the apartment building.
I spun around, ready to fight for my life, but the man immediately held up both hands in a peaceful surrender.
He pulled back his dark hood, revealing an older face heavily scarred by burns and lined with deep exhaustion.
"I am not going to hurt you, Maya, Victoria’s men set the fire to silence you permanently," the stranger rasped heavily.
"Who are you, and how do you know about Victoria?" I demanded, backing away until my shoulders hit the cold brick wall.
The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a tarnished, silver pocket watch that made my heart completely stop.
It was my father's watch, the one he had supposedly been wearing when he died in a terrible car accident.
"Your father saved my life years ago, and he gave me this watch to keep the real patent blueprints hidden from the Carters."
He popped the back of the watch open, pulling out a tiny, perfectly preserved micro-SD card.
"Julian and Victoria are holding an emergency board meeting in one hour to officially finalize the hostile takeover."
"If you do not play this drive during that meeting, your father's entire legacy will be permanently erased."
I took the tiny memory card, feeling the incredibly heavy weight of my entire family's history resting in the palm of my hand.
I left the burning building through the underground service exit, sprinting blocks until I could hail a passing taxi.
I arrived at the towering glass headquarters of Northstar Technologies, knowing the front lobby would be heavily guarded.
I used the underground maintenance tunnels I had discovered with Nathan, silently bypassing the main security checkpoints.
I crept up the emergency fire stairs, my lungs burning fiercely as I climbed toward the fifty-second executive floor.
I carefully opened the heavy stairwell door, peaking down the long, empty marble corridor leading to the boardroom.
Just as I stepped out into the hallway, a sharp, incredibly familiar voice cut through the absolute silence.
May you like
"I knew you would eventually try to play the hero, Maya."
Harper stepped out of the shadows, aiming a sleek, black handgun directly at the center of my chest.
