Chapter 7 - The Final Standoff
The barricaded door shattered into pieces as heavily armed mercenaries flooded into the luxurious apartment.
Mara's security contractors returned fire, filling the room with deafening gunshots and thick gray smoke.
I crawled behind the massive marble kitchen island, clutching my laptop to my chest.
Julian walked into the apartment after the initial gunfire subsided, holding a silver revolver.
He looked around the ruined room and laughed, stepping over the shattered glass and debris.
He ordered his men to lower their weapons, demanding the pleasure of handling me himself.
Julian walked toward the kitchen island and aimed his revolver directly at my forehead.
He told me I was a foolish, pathetic woman who should have just stayed quiet and taken the beatings.
He demanded that I log into the escrow account and return the syndicate's money immediately.
I looked up at him with a fearless smile, ignoring the cold steel pressed against my skin.
I calmly informed him that the money was already gone and the FBI had his entire ledger.
Julian's arrogant smile vanished, replaced by a mask of pure, unadulterated panic.
His cell phone began to ring frantically in his pocket.
He answered it on speakerphone, and the terrifying mechanical voice from earlier echoed through the room.
The syndicate boss coldly informed Julian that they had just visited his parents-in-law.
The boss thanked Julian for the generous forty million dollar donation but stated that Julian's services were permanently terminated.
The mercenaries in the room slowly turned their weapons away from me and aimed them directly at Julian.
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Julian dropped his silver revolver, falling to his knees as he realized he had been completely outplayed.
Sirens began to wail loudly in the distance, growing closer by the second.
