Chapter 2 - The Silver Briefcase
Thick black smoke billowed into the scorching afternoon sky.
The concussive force of the explosion left Maya's ears ringing with a high-pitched whine.
She coughed violently, tasting the bitter ash and burning jet fuel in the air.
Maya struggled to push herself up from the blistering asphalt.
Her gray uniform was torn, and her knees were badly scraped.
She looked around frantically and saw Julian lying motionless a few feet away.
A heavy piece of twisted metal from the fuselage had pinned his leg to the ground.
Isabella was screaming hysterically near the limousine, her designer dress ruined by soot.
Two massive security guards rushed out of the terminal building with their weapons drawn.
"Get the boss out of here!" one of the guards yelled.
Maya crawled toward Julian, desperate to help the bleeding billionaire.
Julian grabbed her wrist with surprising strength for a dying man.
"Run with the briefcase right now," Julian coughed, spitting blood onto the tarmac.
"Isabella orchestrated this to take the company, and that case is the only thing that can stop her."
Maya looked at the heavy silver case lying next to her on the ground.
She had spent three years blending into the background, avoiding conflict at all costs.
Now, the most powerful man in the city was begging her to fight.
Maya grabbed the briefcase handle and scrambled to her feet.
Isabella suddenly stopped screaming and noticed what her assistant was holding.
"What do you think you are doing with my uncle's property?" Isabella demanded with absolute venom.
Maya did not answer.
She turned and sprinted toward the chaotic terminal building as fast as she could.
"Shoot that little rat before she gets away!" Isabella shrieked at her security team.
Bullets ricocheted off the concrete just inches from Maya's running feet.
She dodged behind a luggage cart and smashed her way through the glass doors of the terminal.
The building was filled with screaming passengers fleeing from the explosion outside.
Maya used the panicked crowd as cover, pushing her way into an employee-only hallway.
She ducked into a dark maintenance closet and locked the heavy metal door behind her.
Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Maya placed the silver briefcase on a chemical storage bucket and popped the dual latches.
She expected to find millions of dollars in untraceable bearer bonds.
Instead, the case contained a single black key card and a heavily redacted birth certificate.
Maya traced her fingers over the faded ink on the old document.
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The mother's name was listed as Julian's late wife, Eleanor Vance.
The child's name listed on the document was Maya Vance.
