Chapter 6 - The Lion's Den
I left Sarah and Lily securely locked inside the abandoned motel room, promising them I would return before dawn.
I utilized my intimate knowledge of the corporate building's architecture to bypass the outer security perimeter completely undetected.
I crawled through the massive industrial ventilation shafts, silently dropping into the dark hallway just outside the underground vault.
The laser grid blocking the entrance was still active, humming quietly with lethal, high-voltage electricity.
I swiped the black titanium keycard through the hidden access terminal, praying Sarah had not stolen a deactivated decoy.
The laser grid powered down immediately, and the massive, circular steel door hissed open smoothly.
I stepped into the cold, sterile environment of the secure vault, surrounded by millions of dollars in illegal cash and gold bars.
I ignored the massive fortune completely, searching frantically through the glass medical cabinets for the lifesaving cure.
I finally found a small, padded silver case containing three vials of glowing blue liquid labeled with the cartel insignia.
I also grabbed the thick leather ledger sitting on the desk, knowing this book was the only leverage I had against Elias.
Just as I securely packed the items into my tactical bag, the entire building was plunged into absolute darkness.
Blinding red emergency strobes began flashing violently, accompanied by the deafening wail of the facility's intruder alarm.
The heavy steel vault door slammed shut behind me, completely locking me inside the freezing room.
The large security monitor on the wall crackled to life, displaying Elias Thorne's arrogant, smiling face.
"You really thought a stolen keycard would not trigger a silent alarm on my personal phone?" Elias mocked cruelly.
The camera feed switched to a live broadcast of the abandoned motel room where I had left my family.
May you like
My blood ran entirely cold as I watched Elias standing in the filthy room, pointing a silver revolver directly at Lily's head.
"Bring the ledger outside to the extraction point, Nathan, or your beautiful daughter loses her life tonight," Elias commanded.
