Chapter 13 - THE SECURITY BREACHThe heavy metal stairwell door creaked open with a sharp, metallic groan.
Derek crept down the carpeted hallway of the seventh floor, his footsteps muffled against the plush runner. He stopped directly in front of my door—Unit 704—and raised the heavy brass tire iron, pressing his ear against the reinforced wood to listen for movement inside.
He didn't know that my apartment was equipped with smart-glass windows, biometric locks, and internal audio feeds that broadcasted every heavy breath he took straight to my tablet.
"Open up, you ungrateful bitch," Derek muttered to himself, his voice distorted by rage. "I know you're in there. You think you can ruin my life? You think you can take everything I built?"
He raised the tire iron high above his head, preparing to smash the deadbolt lock right out of the frame.
Clack-whir.
The hallway ceiling speakers suddenly sprang to life with a crisp, automated security announcement.
"Warning. You are trespassing in a restricted private residential zone. Local law enforcement and private armed response have been dispatched. You have thirty seconds to evacuate the premises."
Derek froze, the tire iron trembling in his grip. He spun around, staring up at the security dome camera mounted above the doorway as the blue and red emergency strobe lights suddenly flooded the hallway.
"No! No, damn you, Naomi!" he roared, slamming the tire iron against the wall before turning tail and sprinting back toward the stairwell door.
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He didn't even make it to the handle.
The double fire doors at the opposite end of the hall burst open, and two armed private security guards pinned him face-down against the carpet before he could take another step.
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