Chapter 5 - The Broken Brakes
My assistant stepped out of the shadows, her hand remarkably steady on the weapon.
I asked her how much Victoria had paid her to betray me.
She smiled coldly and said Victoria had simply promised to pay off her massive gambling debts.
I told her I could double whatever Victoria was offering right this second.
She shook her head, stating that Victoria had promised something far more valuable than money.
Victoria had promised her immunity when my corporate empire finally collapsed tomorrow morning.
Before she could pull the trigger, Maria slammed the SUV into reverse.
The massive armored vehicle crashed into the steel shelving unit behind my assistant.
The shelves collapsed in a deafening roar of twisting metal and shattered tools.
My assistant screamed and dropped the gun as she jumped out of the way.
I did not waste a single second.
I sprinted toward the passenger door and threw myself inside the moving vehicle.
Maria slammed the transmission into drive and smashed right through the closed garage doors.
Wood and metal exploded around us as we burst out into the pouring rain.
Gunfire chased us down the long driveway, pinging harmlessly against the bulletproof glass.
Maria drove like a professional, navigating the winding mountain roads at terrifying speeds.
I took the steering wheel from her, telling her to focus on keeping Lily calm in the back seat.
We sped toward the city, hoping to lose Marcus and his hitmen in the dense urban traffic.
I hit the brakes as we approached a sharp, dangerous curve near a steep cliff.
The brake pedal slammed all the way to the floor with absolutely no resistance.
I pumped the pedal frantically, but the car did not slow down at all.
We were hurtling toward the edge of the cliff at ninety miles an hour.
I yelled for Maria to hold on as I yanked the emergency brake lever with all my strength.
The SUV spun violently out of control, tires screeching against the wet asphalt.
We crashed hard into the reinforced steel guardrail, the airbags deploying instantly with a loud bang.
The car teetered terrifyingly on the very edge of the deadly drop.
May you like
I unbuckled my belt and looked at the dashboard, where a small yellow card was taped to the speedometer.
The card had a single dandelion drawn on it, proving the mechanic had targeted the little girl from the very start.
