Chapter 8 - The Cartel's Shadow
Nadia held the wire tightly around Miller's neck, using him as a human shield against the locked doors.
"Let us out of here, Sterling, or your favorite detective dies right now," Nadia yelled toward the security camera in the corner.
The Mayor's voice crackled through the intercom, dripping with arrogant amusement.
"Kill him if you want, Nadia, he has outlived his usefulness anyway," the Mayor replied coldly.
Miller's eyes widened in sheer panic as he realized his boss was completely willing to sacrifice him.
"Please, Nadia, don't do it, I can help you get out of here," Miller choked out, struggling desperately for breath.
Nadia released the wire and shoved Miller to the concrete floor in absolute disgust.
She rushed over to Leo and quickly untied the heavy ropes binding his hands and feet.
"Are you okay, Leo?" she asked, examining the deep bruises forming on his pale face.
"I am fine, but they brought a bomb down here, Nadia," he whispered, pointing to a dark corner of the room.
Nadia's blood ran cold as she spotted a blinking red timer attached to a massive block of C4 explosives.
The timer read exactly three minutes.
The Mayor intended to bury them alive and erase all evidence of his crimes in one massive explosion.
"Miller, how do we open those doors?" Nadia demanded, pulling the terrified detective to his feet.
"It is a biometric lock, it only opens with my fingerprint," Miller stammered, raising his trembling hand.
He pressed his thumb against the scanner next to the heavy steel doors, and the magnetic lock disengaged with a loud click.
Nadia pushed the doors open, leading Leo and Miller into the dark, labyrinthine corridors of the meatpacking plant.
They sprinted toward the main exit, the ominous ticking of the bomb echoing in their minds.
As they burst through the front doors into the foggy night, a fleet of black SUVs suddenly surrounded them.
Nadia raised her stolen weapon, expecting to see Borel and the Mayor's police force waiting for them.
Instead, heavily armed men wearing skull masks and tactical gear stepped out of the vehicles.
They were not cops; they were cartel enforcers, and they looked incredibly heavily armed.
A tall man with a silver scar across his face stepped forward, clapping his hands slowly.
"Mayor Sterling owes us fifty million dollars, and he told us you stole it, little girl," the cartel boss snarled.
Nadia realized the Mayor had sold her out to a brutal drug cartel to cover his own massive debts.
Before she could explain the truth, a police siren wailed in the distance, cutting through the thick fog.
May you like
Officer Borel stepped out of the shadows with a megaphone, grinning maliciously at the unfolding chaos.
"Kill them all, and burn the bodies," Borel commanded the cartel soldiers.
