Chapter 7 - The Fire and the Fury
Emily stared at the glowing red numbers ticking down rapidly on Arthur’s vest.
Fifty seconds left.
The deafening shouts of David’s mercenaries echoed through the massive warehouse.
They were systematically tearing apart the shipping crates, hunting them down like wild animals.
“Where is Maria?” Emily demanded, refusing to move a single step without her.
Arthur quickly reloaded his heavy weapon with a loud, metallic click.
“I couldn't reach her in the dark, she was too heavily guarded by the van.”
“If we don't leave right now, we are all going to burn alive in this building.”
Emily shook her head stubbornly, her eyes burning with fierce determination.
“I am not leaving an innocent girl behind to die for my family's sins.”
Before Arthur could physically stop her, Emily broke out of her cover and sprinted back into the maze.
Thirty seconds left.
She dodged the sweeping beams of heavy tactical flashlights.
She used the noise of the shouting guards to mask the sound of her frantic footsteps.
She finally spotted the heavily armored transport van parked under the dim red emergency lights.
Maria was tied tightly to the steel bumper, crying silently in pure despair.
Two large guards were standing merely ten feet away, arguing about the power outage.
Emily grabbed a heavy iron wrench from a nearby tool cart.
She threw it as hard as she could toward a massive stack of glass bottles across the aisle.
The deafening crash caused both heavily armed guards to run toward the sudden noise.
Emily sprinted to the van and frantically untied the thick ropes binding Maria's wrists.
Ten seconds left.
Maria gasped in shock, but Emily dragged her fiercely toward the heavy steel loading doors.
Arthur was waiting impatiently by the exit, holding the door open.
They threw themselves through the doorway just as the timer hit absolute zero.
A massive, earth-shattering explosion ripped through the center of the dark warehouse.
The sheer force of the terrifying blast threw them heavily into the wet, muddy grass outside.
Flames roared wildly into the night sky, painting the heavy rain clouds a violent shade of orange.
Emily coughed up dirt and smoke, forcing herself to sit up and check on Maria.
Maria was bruised and terrified, but completely unhurt.
Arthur pulled them both to their feet and shoved them into a waiting armored SUV.
He hit the gas hard, tearing down the dark country road away from the burning inferno.
Emily looked back at the towering pillar of destructive fire, hoping David and Chloe had perished.
But Arthur shattered her brief moment of dangerous hope.
“Don't celebrate yet, Emily.”
He tapped the digital dashboard monitor of the speeding vehicle.
“I hacked their communication frequency right before the blast.”
“David and Chloe escaped through the underground bunker system before the bombs went off.”
Emily felt a cold surge of dread wash over her tired body.
“Then where are they going now?” she asked, fearing the answer.
Arthur pulled up a heavily encrypted flight manifest on the glowing screen.
“They aren't fleeing the country anymore.”
He turned to look at Emily with an expression of pure, unadulterated grimness.
“They are heading straight to the district courthouse to finalize the inheritance transfer.”
Emily realized they had completely run out of time to play defense.
May you like
Arthur handed her a loaded silver pistol from the glove compartment.
“But the worst part is, the judge signing the final transfer order is your own godfather.”
