Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
I froze completely, my eyes locked on the glowing red digits of the bomb rapidly counting down from two minutes.
Mara let out a cruel, triumphant laugh that echoed loudly against the rusted metal walls of the massive warehouse.
"Shoot her right now and take the drive!" Mara commanded her mercenaries, aggressively pointing her manicured finger at me.
Before a single mercenary could raise his weapon, the skylights above us shattered violently into a million dangerous pieces.
Dozens of flashbang grenades dropped onto the concrete floor, detonating with a blinding, deafening roar.
Carter and his highly trained tactical team repelled down from the roof, instantly engaging the cartel soldiers in heavy crossfire.
I sprinted straight through the absolute chaos, diving desperately toward my father's heavy metal wheelchair.
"Maisie, get away, it's rigged to blow!" my father shouted over the terrifying sound of continuous gunfire.
I ignored him completely, falling to my knees to desperately inspect the complex mess of wires beneath his seat.
I had spent my entire childhood watching my father fix broken gardening equipment, and I understood basic circuitry better than anyone knew.
My hands shook violently as I gripped the blue wire, praying to God that my desperate instinct was totally correct.
I ripped the wire completely out of the socket, and the glowing red timer instantly froze at exactly three seconds.
A massive wave of pure relief washed over me just as the heavy gunfire abruptly ceased.
Carter's men had successfully neutralized the entire group of cartel mercenaries, forcing them to surrender on the floor.
Mara was aggressively pinned against a metal shipping container, screaming hysterically as plastic cuffs were heavily secured around her wrists.
Suddenly, Tristan burst from a hidden back office, his face pale with absolute terror as he realized his family had completely lost.
He desperately sprinted toward the open loading dock doors, trying to escape into the dark, foggy night.
A line of flashing red and blue police cruisers suddenly aggressively blocked his only path to freedom.
The chief of police stepped out of the lead vehicle and walked slowly toward my panicked ex-fiancé.
I felt a surge of victory, knowing Tristan was finally going to rot in prison for the rest of his life.
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But instead of pulling out a pair of handcuffs, the corrupt police chief calmly unholstered his loaded service weapon.
He handed the heavy gun directly to Tristan and pointed menacingly toward me.
