Chapter 16 - THE OLD GUARD FIGHTS BACK
Before the first guard could reach me, a deafening bang echoed through the stone library.
I hit the floor, covering my head. A cloud of thick grey smoke and buckshot tore through the air, embedding itself directly into the antique wooden bookshelf above us.
I looked up. Eighty-year-old Evelyn Blackwood was standing behind the massive mahogany desk, holding a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun that looked almost too heavy for her frail arms. Smoke curled lazily from the smoking barrel.
"Get out of my estate, you American gutter-trash," Evelyn shouted, her voice echoing with thunderous authority as she cocked the second barrel with a sharp clack-clack.
The two guards froze, staring down the barrel of the loaded shotgun. They looked at blinded Julian, who was still howling in pain on the floor, and made a split-second executive decision. They dropped their batons, raised their hands, and backed slowly out of the room.
"Run, Jessi!" Evelyn yelled, keeping the gun steady.
I didn't need to be told twice. I sprinted past the guards, burst out of the library, and bolted down the grand hallway toward the front entrance.
The cold Cornish wind hit me like a physical wall as I burst through the front doors of Blackwood Manor and sprinted down the gravel drive toward my rental car. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I jammed the key into the ignition, the engine sputtering to life with a desperate roar.
I threw the car into reverse, spinning the steering wheel hard, and tore down the winding stone driveway just as Julian stumbled out onto the front steps, wiping his streaming eyes and screaming curses into the ocean fog.
My phone buzzed continuously on the passenger seat. I didn't look at it until I reached the safety of the main highway, pulling over onto the grassy shoulder to catch my breath.
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I picked up the phone. It wasn't Marcus. It was an automated security alert from my banking portal: SEC-ALERT: Outbound transfer blocked. Two-factor authentication successfully restored.
Below it was a text message from an unknown UK number: The patent drive is secure. Evelyn sends her regards. Don't come back.
