Chapter 14 - CrossfireBefore Julian could raise his weapon, I fired.
The muffled crack of my gun echoed through the penthouse, shattering a crystal vase beside him. Julian dove hard behind the heavy mahogany wet bar, returning fire instantly. A bullet whined past my ear, embedding itself deeply into the plaster wall behind me.
Glass shattered as another round punched clean through the floor-to-ceiling windows, letting the cold afternoon wind howl into the room.
"You can't win, Samuel!" Julian shouted over the sound of breaking glass, his voice echoing from behind the bar. "The building's perimeter security has already been overridden by my team! The elevators are locked down! No one is coming to save you!"
I rolled across the hardwood floor, taking cover behind the grand piano as two more bullets slammed into the mahogany wood. My mind raced. Julian was right about the security lockdown—he had compromised the system. But he didn't know about the independent satellite link connected directly to Marcus's tactical unit downstairs.
With my left hand, I pulled the secure satellite phone from my pocket, tapped the emergency override button twice, and hissed into the mic: Breach on floor forty-two. Hostile armed. Execute extraction protocol.
"Who are you talking to?" Julian yelled, popping up from behind the bar and firing blindly in my direction.
Wood splinters rained down on my shoulders. I fired two quick shots back, forcing him to duck back into cover.
Clang!
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Suddenly, the heavy reinforced service door at the opposite end of the penthouse blew inward with a deafening blast.
Smoke filled the hallway as Marcus and four heavily armed tactical operators poured into the room, their assault rifles raised and laser sights painting the walls in bright red.
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