Chapter 6 - The Ultimate Betrayal
Noah stared at his manager in a state of total, paralyzed disbelief. Gary had always seemed like a harmless, incredibly lazy boss who cared only about inventory. Now, he stood perfectly dressed and confident among a dozen heavily armed cartel killers. "You sold me out, Gary?" Elias asked, his gravelly voice dripping with sheer venom. "Business is just business, my old friend," Gary smiled coldly, adjusting his expensive tie. "The cartel offered fifty million dollars for the encrypted data drive in your pocket." Noah suddenly realized the warm rolls he served earlier were the catalyst for this entire nightmare. "Hand over the drive right now, Elias, and I might just let the boy live," Gary offered smoothly. Elias slowly reached into the inner pocket of his soaked, ruined gray coat. He pulled out a small, sleek black flash drive and held it up into the dim light. "If you want it so badly, come and get it," Elias challenged, tossing it into the murky water. Gary's eyes widened with pure greed as he stepped eagerly forward to retrieve his prize. Suddenly, the surviving biker from the diner dropped silently from an overhead ventilation shaft. He landed directly on top of Gary, plunging a vicious hunting knife toward the manager's neck. Deafening gunfire erupted instantly as the cartel enforcers panicked and shot wildly into the dark. Elias grabbed Noah's arm aggressively and shoved him safely behind a massive concrete pillar. "Take this right now," Elias whispered urgently, pressing a heavy golden coin into Noah's hand. "What is this for?" Noah asked, trembling violently as bullets chipped the stone around them. "It is your only ticket out, because I am not leaving this tunnel alive," Elias coughed suddenly. Noah gasped as Elias opened his coat to reveal a massive, spreading bloodstain across his stomach.
