Chapter 9 - The Tarmac Standoff
The private jet spun violently out of control, trailing a massive plume of thick black smoke across the wet runway.
The crippled aircraft slammed hard into the grass, grinding to a screeching, fiery halt just yards from the perimeter fence.
Our armored SUV skidded to a stop near the burning wreckage, and Elias’s security team immediately poured out with weapons drawn.
I threw open my door and ran toward the mangled jet, completely ignoring the intense heat radiating from the flames.
The emergency exit door of the plane was suddenly kicked open from the inside.
Charlotte stumbled out onto the wing, coughing violently and clutching her bleeding shoulder.
She was tightly holding the heavy metal briefcase that contained the forty million dollars.
When she saw me standing on the tarmac, her eyes widened in absolute shock and pure hatred.
She slid down the wing and landed heavily on the wet concrete, pulling a small silver pistol from her designer coat.
She aimed the weapon directly at my chest, her hand shaking wildly from the adrenaline and pain.
She screamed that I had ruined her perfect plan to take over the SwiftFreight empire.
I slowly raised my hands, stepping closer to her despite the deadly weapon pointed at my heart.
I calmly told her that she was completely surrounded by federal agents and heavily armed security.
Elias stepped up beside me, his men keeping their laser sights firmly planted on Charlotte’s head.
Charlotte laughed hysterically, blood dripping slowly down her chin as the rain washed over her face.
She revealed that the briefcase required a biometric scan to open, and she had already programmed it to self-destruct if anyone else tried to unlock it.
She threatened to shoot me and then herself, ensuring that no one would ever get the money.
Suddenly, a loud, agonizing groan echoed from the burning wreckage of the jet behind her.
Mason pulled himself out of the smoking fuselage, his clothes severely scorched and his face covered in soot.
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He had completely faked his knee injury in the wine cellar to escape the police and join Charlotte on the flight.
Mason raised a heavy steel fire extinguisher and smashed it violently into the back of Charlotte’s skull.
