Chapter 5 - The Distraction
Julian knew he was completely out of time.
He had to get Camille out of that chair before Bennett's men started searching the walls.
He looked at Rex and gave a silent, complex hand signal he hadn't used in three years.
The dog's ears pinned back flat against his skull as he recognized the command for a lethal distraction.
Julian quietly removed the ventilation grate and pushed it outward just enough to create an opening.
"Go," Julian whispered into the darkness.
Rex exploded out of the wall like a terrifying, furry missile.
The dog cleared the bookshelf and slammed directly into the mercenary nearest to the door.
The man screamed in sheer terror as seventy pounds of muscle and teeth brought him crashing to the floor.
Complete chaos erupted in the office as the other armed men scrambled to aim their weapons at the moving blur.
Bennett shouted frantically, trying to get his men to secure the exits.
Julian did not hesitate for a single second.
He stepped out of the hidden passage and fired three precise shots.
The first two bullets instantly dropped the mercenaries raising their rifles.
The third bullet shattered Bennett's kneecap, sending the traitor collapsing to the carpet in a screaming heap.
Julian rushed forward and sliced through Camille's thick zip-ties with a tactical knife.
She gasped for air and practically threw herself into his arms.
"Where is Elsie?" Camille cried out in absolute panic.
"She is safe in the wall," Julian promised, pulling Camille tightly against his chest.
More heavy footsteps echoed down the main hallway, signaling the arrival of enemy reinforcements.
Julian grabbed Camille's hand and dragged her toward the titanium-reinforced door of his private safe room.
They pulled Elsie from the hidden passage and threw themselves inside the bunker just as a hail of bullets ripped through the office.
Julian slammed the heavy steel door shut and spun the massive locking wheel.
The solid metal bolts engaged with a loud, final click, sealing them securely inside.
A red light suddenly flashed violently on the electronic keypad next to the door.
Bennett's agonizing, laughing voice crackled through the security intercom.
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"You just locked yourself inside a tomb, Julian," Bennett mocked.
"I activated the self-destruct protocol on the vault, and you have exactly twenty minutes until the oxygen ignites," Bennett revealed.
