Chapter 5 - THE SIEGE OF SHADOWS
“GET TO THE ESCAPE TUNNEL! NOW!” Victor shouted, grabbing his cane and pulling a heavy automatic pistol from beneath his desk.
Heavy gunfire erupted above them. Dust and concrete rained down from the ceiling as high-caliber rounds slammed into the fortified roof of the underground bunker. Explosions shook the floor, throwing Mark against the wall.
“Mark, grab Lily!” Clara screamed, darting toward the little girl. She swept Lily into her arms, ripping the stuffed bear away and throwing it toward the opposite side of the room.
Victor’s mercenaries returned fire down the main corridor, but the incoming attackers were professional military contractors dressed in unmarked tactical gear, pushing forward with tactical shields and flashbang grenades.
BANG! BANG!
A flashbang detonated in the hallway, blinding Mark temporarily. He stumbled, groaning in pain.
“Mark!” Clara yelled, dragging him by his collar toward the rear steel door of the office.
Victor stood near the doorway, firing precise shots down the hall, dropping two advancing mercenaries. “Move your asses! The tunnel leads to the river docks! I have a boat waiting!”
They scrambled into the dark, narrow emergency tunnel just as heavy boots kicked open the office door behind them.
“Check the room! Leave no survivors!” a harsh, accented voice ordered from inside the bunker.
Victor slammed the thick steel emergency door shut and turned the manual wheel, sealing them inside the escape passage. He pulled a small detonator from his coat pocket and flipped open the safety switch.
“What is that?” Mark panted, clutching his eyes as his vision slowly returned.
“Insurance,” Victor grunted, hitting the red button.
BOOM!
A massive explosion detonated inside the bunker, collapsing the entrance ceiling and crushing the mercenaries trapped inside. The entire tunnel shook violently, but the reinforced structure held.
Clara held the crying child tightly against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs. “They almost got us. Julian isn’t taking any chances.”
“He knows he’s running out of time,” Victor said, wiping dust from his face as they hurried down the dark tunnel toward the faint light of the river. “The merger is tomorrow night. He’s frantic. Frantic men make mistakes, Clara.”
Ten minutes later, they emerged into a hidden boathouse on the edge of the Hudson River. Waiting in the water was a sleek, matte-black speed boat.
As they boarded the vessel, Clara turned to look back at the smoking ruins of the industrial park in the distance. The police sirens were blaring across New Jersey, but Julian’s mercenaries had already vanished into the fog.
Clara took out her phone. It was buzzing with news alerts.
BREAKING NEWS: BRIDE CLARA STERLING NAMED PRIME SUSPECT IN ARSON AND KIDNAPPING CASE. POLICE URGE PUBLIC TO REPORT SIGHTINGS.
“He’s framed me for the fire at Lily’s house,” Clara said, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. “He told the press I abducted Lily after setting the fire to ruin his reputation.”
“He’s brilliant, I’ll give him that,” Victor said, revving the boat’s powerful twin engines. “He’s turned you into the villain in the eyes of the world. No court will listen to a fugitive accused of child abduction and arson.”
Clara looked down at Lily, who was trembling in her arms. The child looked up at her with trusting eyes.
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“They won’t need to listen to me in court,” Clara said, her eyes burning with an unshakeable resolve. “Because tomorrow night, at his grand victory gala, I’m not going to speak to the judge. I’m going to broadcast his downfall live to fifty million viewers.”
She turned to Victor. “Get us to Manhattan. It’s time to crash a party.”
