Chapter 6 - The Trap
Daniel stepped out from behind his father, a sadistic grin spreading across his bruised face. "You really thought you were smarter than us, didn't you? We tracked your digital ping the moment you touched Vance's network in Raleigh."
Catherine smirked, resting a manicured hand on her husband’s shoulder. "Did you honestly think a simple soldier could outmaneuver men who buy senators for sport?"
I kept my hands visible, holding the hardware key loosely between my fingers. "Your empire is already collapsing, Richard. The DOJ has the root files. The paper trail is public."
"The paper trail means nothing without a living witness to authenticate it," Richard replied coldly. "And unfortunately, your daughter is about to suffer a tragic, fatal relapse from the injuries she sustained during her... 'fall'."
My blood ran cold. "If you touch her—"
"You aren't in a position to make demands," Richard interrupted. "Hand over the key, Colonel. And perhaps I’ll let your daughter live out her days in a quiet, comfortable institution."
Through my earpiece, Sarah’s faint voice whistled through low static: "Colonel... Vance is in position... on your mark..."
I looked Richard dead in the eyes, lowering my shoulder slightly. "You made one mistake, Richard."
"And what is that?"
"You assumed I came here to steal evidence," I said. "I came here to draw you into the light."
"Mark!" I barked into the mic.
A high-velocity precision round from Vance’s sniper rifle shattered the library's reinforced glass window, striking the light chandelier above us. The massive crystal fixture plunged from the ceiling, crashing onto the marble floor in a thunderous explosion of glass and blinding electrical sparks.
The room plunged into instant darkness.
Before the mercenaries could react, I swept my leg across the nearest contractor's knees, bringing him down, snatched his assault rifle, and drove a blinding flash-grenade straight into the center of the hall.
BOOM!
Screams rang out through the smoke. I moved through the dark like a specter, disarming the remaining guards with swift, brutal military strikes. Daniel scrambled backward on his hands and knees, shrieking in panic as I grabbed him by his collar, slammed him against the wall, and press-fitted my sidearm under his chin.
"Don't move," I growled into his ear.
Richard, disoriented and bleeding from a cut on his forehead caused by flying glass, fell back into his leather armchair, pointing his pearl-handled revolver blindly into the smoke.
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"It's over, Richard," I said, stepping into his line of sight with Daniel held in front of me as a shield. "The hardware key is already transmitting its decryption protocols directly to the Federal Reserve and the Department of Justice via my satellite bridge."
Catherine dropped to her knees, sobbing hysterical tears as the distant sound of approaching wailing sirens echoed across the estate gardens.
