Chapter 1 - The Mechanic
Victoria Sterling did not panic; she calculated. She had exactly eighteen minutes before the Apex Tower boardroom doors locked. If she wasn't sitting at the mahogany table with the crocodile-skin briefcase by 9:00 AM, the seventy-million-dollar merger with OmniCorp would dissolve.
She slammed her hand against the Bentley’s reinforced glass. The biometric lock on the door handle flashed a hard, unforgiving red.
"Electronic jamming," a deep, rough voice echoed through the sterile concrete cavern.
Victoria spun around, her trench coat flaring. Stepping out from the shadows of a concrete pillar was a man in his late thirties, wearing a grease-stained gray uniform. He held a heavy steel wrench in one hand. His eyes were sharp, evaluating her with an infuriating lack of intimidation.
"Excuse me?" Victoria snapped, her voice cold enough to freeze water.
"Your fob isn't working because someone is blocking the frequency," the man said, walking closer. His name tag read Jax. "Apex Tower has lead-lined walls down here, but a targeted jammer means someone doesn't want you getting into that car."
"I don't need a conspiracy theory from a parking attendant," Victoria checked her platinum watch. Seventeen minutes. "I need this car open. I will pay you ten thousand dollars right now to smash this window."
Jax scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. "It’s ballistic glass, lady. A wrench will just bounce off and break my jaw. But I can bypass the undercarriage security relay." He slid under the front bumper of the Bentley without waiting for her permission.
"Hurry," she hissed.
"Twelve thousand," Jax’s voice echoed from under the chassis. "And you owe me a coffee."
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A loud click echoed through the garage. The Bentley’s headlights flashed. The doors unlocked. Victoria didn't hesitate. She ripped the passenger door open, grabbed the crocodile-skin briefcase, and turned back. Jax was sliding out from under the car, wiping grease from his forehead.
"Invoice my office," Victoria said, already sprinting toward the VIP elevator. But as she hit the call button, the digital display above the steel doors went black.
