Chapter 7 - The Unlikely Ally
The toxic yellow gas burned my eyes instantly, making it incredibly difficult to see.
I coughed violently, dropping to the floor to seek whatever clean oxygen remained near the tiles.
Riley joined me on the ground, pulling her jacket over her mouth and nose to filter the deadly fumes.
She aimed her service weapon at the thick, reinforced glass window overlooking the hallway.
She fired three rapid shots, but the armor-piercing bullets merely left spiderweb cracks in the bulletproof glass.
The air was rapidly becoming unbreathable, and my lungs felt like they were actively catching on fire.
"We need something heavier!" Riley shouted over the deafening hiss of the ventilation system.
I crawled desperately across the room, my hands blindly searching the walls through the thick yellow smoke.
My fingers brushed against the cold, cylindrical metal of a heavy industrial fire extinguisher.
I ripped it from its mounting bracket, ignoring the agonizing burning sensation in my throat.
I dragged the heavy red cylinder across the room and handed it to the federal agent.
Riley gripped the fire extinguisher by the neck and swung it with all her remaining strength.
The heavy metal base smashed directly into the center of the cracked bulletproof window.
The glass groaned under the immense pressure before finally shattering outward into the hallway.
We tumbled through the broken window frame, collapsing onto the cool marble floor outside.
I gasped greedily for the fresh air, my lungs screaming in protest with every single breath.
Riley pulled a small medical inhaler from her tactical vest and took a deep, stabilizing breath before handing it to me.
The medicine instantly cleared my airways, giving me the crucial burst of adrenaline I desperately needed.
"The digital transfer was fully reversed before he locked the doors," Riley confirmed, checking her shattered wristwatch.
"Daniel’s cartel bosses are going to murder him by dawn for losing their fifty million dollars."
I stood up, wiping the soot and tears from my ruined masquerade makeup.
"I am not waiting for the cartel to finish this," I stated with absolute, cold determination.
Riley nodded, ejecting the spent magazine from her pistol and slamming a fresh one into place.
We marched purposefully down the long hallway, heading straight toward the grand ballroom.
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I kicked the massive, golden double doors open with a thunderous crash that silenced the entire orchestra.
Daniel was standing on the grand stage, holding a microphone and raising a glass of champagne.
