Chapter 9 - The Final Trap
Julian’s laughter filtered through the speaker, harsh and metallic.
"I knew you’d come for the ledger. It’s the only piece of the puzzle you’re missing," Julian gloated. "You're going to freeze to death down there, Clara. The oxygen scrubbers have been turned off. In two hours, you and Pierce will just fall asleep. And I'll walk away with my empire intact."
Clara stared at the speaker. Panic, cold and primal, tried to claw its way up her throat. But she forced it down. She had survived worse than Julian Hawthorne.
She looked at Alexander. "Can you hack the door?"
"It's a hardline mechanical lockover. It’s not connected to the network anymore," Alexander gritted his teeth, tearing open the control panel on the inside of the door. Wires spilled out. "I can try to short-circuit the pneumatic release, but it’s a long shot."
Clara didn't panic. She pulled out her phone. No signal. She looked around the freezing, bare vault. She looked at the Black Ledger in her hands.
"Julian," Clara said loudly toward the speaker. "You do realize that if we die down here, Alexander's dead-man switch activates? The moment his vitals flatline, all of Hawthorne Enterprises' remaining offshore assets are automatically wired to a dozen global charities. You get the ledger, but you lose the money."
Silence from the speaker. Clara was bluffing, but Julian didn't know that.
"You're lying," Julian finally said, though his voice wavered.
"Call my bluff," Clara said, her voice dripping with ice. "Let us die. Go back to Newport with a ledger and zero dollars in your bank account. How long do you think your father will protect you when he finds out you lost his last billion?"
"Clara," Alexander whispered, working furiously with two wires. "I think I have it. When I connect these, the door will pop, but it will trigger a localized alarm. Julian is probably standing right outside with his mercenaries."
Clara drew her suppressed pistol, checking the chamber. "I'm counting on it."
"Julian!" Clara yelled. "Open the door, or I burn the ledger right now! I have a lighter!"
"Wait! Don't!" Julian shouted. The idea of losing the ledger terrified him.
"Now, Alexander!" Clara ordered.
Alexander touched the wires. Sparks flew. The heavy steel door popped open with a hiss.
Before the door was even fully open, Clara moved. She slid through the gap, dropping low. Julian was standing there with three armed mercenaries.
Clara fired three shots in rapid succession. She didn't shoot to kill; she shot to disarm. The suppressed rounds shattered the kneecaps of the mercenaries. They dropped to the floor, screaming in agony.
Julian stood frozen, his eyes wide in absolute terror, holding a small remote control.
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Clara stepped forward, the barrel of her gun pressed directly against Julian's forehead. The billionaire playboy was shaking so violently he dropped the remote.
"I told you, Julian," Clara whispered, her eyes dark and unforgiving. "You don't know how to fight in the gutter."
