Chapter 5 - The Trap SpringsAdrian raised his hand, signaling Owen to hold his fire.
The fluorescent light overhead flickered, buzzing softly in the tense silence of the hallway. Water dripped from a broken pipe somewhere in the ceiling, splashing onto the floor with a rhythmic tick-tock like a bomb timer.
"You think a flash drive can destroy me, Derek?" Adrian asked, his voice low and hypnotic as he took another slow step forward.
"It won't just destroy you, Vale," Derek laughed nervously, sweat beading on his forehead. "It will burn your entire syndicate to ash. The FBI has been waiting for these documents for years."
"Let her go," Adrian repeated, his tone dropping into a chilling monotone. "Take the drive. Take whatever money you want from my accounts. Walk out that door. But leave her out of this."
Derek blinked, surprised. "You're willing to trade your entire empire for a secretary?"
"She is not just a secretary," Adrian said.
Before Derek could process the words, Claire suddenly moved.
Instead of freezing in terror, she slammed her heel down hard onto Derek’s expensive leather shoe, driving her sharp heel straight into his instep.
Derek shrieked in pain, his grip on the gun loosening for a split second as he stumbled backward.
It was all the opening Adrian needed.
With blinding speed, Adrian crossed the distance between them. He struck Derek’s wrist with a karate chop that sent the chrome pistol clattering across the tile floor. Before Derek could recover, Adrian grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the bathroom wall with enough force to crack the drywall.
"You made a mistake, Derek," Adrian whispered in his ear, his face inches from the terrified man. "You thought she was a victim."
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"Shoot him! Boss, shoot him!" Owen yelled, sweeping the hallway as heavy footsteps echoed from the front entrance.
"We've got company!" Owen warned. "Hawthorne's backup just arrived!"
