Chapter 9 - The Checkmate
My finger hovered over the trigger. Victor’s thumb hovered over the detonator. The air in the hallway was thick with cordite and smoke.
"Put it down, Victor. Sterling is finished," I said, keeping my voice dead level. "The FBI has him. His accounts are zeroed. You’re fighting for a ghost. You blow that door, I put a bullet between your eyes, and you die for a paycheck that doesn't exist anymore."
Victor hesitated. The fanaticism in his eyes flickered. He was a mercenary, not a martyr. He fought for money.
"You're lying," he sneered.
"Check your phone," I challenged. "Look at the news. Look at your bank accounts. It’s over."
Slowly, without lowering the detonator, Victor reached into his pocket with his left hand and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up with breaking news alerts. Billionaire Richard Sterling Arrested in Massive Fraud and Espionage Sweep.
His face went slack. The realization that he was alone, surrounded, and fighting for nothing hit him like a physical blow.
"You lost, Victor," I said quietly. "Walk away. Drop the detonator, and you can walk out the front door. You have my word."
The silence stretched for an agonizing eternity. The only sound was the crackle of the burning kitchen.
Finally, Victor let out a long, ragged breath. He slowly lowered his thumb from the detonator button. He tossed the device onto the floor, where it skittered against the wall. He raised his hands.
"You’re a vicious bastard, Vance," Victor muttered.
"I’m a father," I replied.
Marcus stepped up behind me, slamming the butt of his rifle into the back of Victor’s knees, dropping him to the floor. He zip-tied Victor's wrists in seconds.
"House is clear, Boss. Sirens are coming up the mountain," Marcus reported. "Local law enforcement."
I lowered my weapon, my hands finally shaking. I walked over to the heavy steel door of the vault and keyed in the passcode. M-A-Y-A.
The heavy bolts disengaged, and the door swung open.
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Clara was huddled in the corner, holding Maya so tightly. When she looked up and saw me standing in the doorway, covered in soot and snow but entirely alive, she broke.
I fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around both of them, burying my face in Clara's neck. "You're safe," I sobbed into her hair. "I swear to God, you're safe."
