Chapter 9: Ten Minutes to Midnight
The red beacon atop the warehouse pulsed through the rain.
Marcus slammed the brakes.
His SUV skidded sideways, stopping behind a row of rusted shipping containers. Richard Bennett's vehicle pulled in seconds later.
Both men jumped out.
Marcus stared at the countdown displayed on the photograph still open on his phone.
09:21
He looked toward the warehouse.
"He's really going to do it."
Richard grabbed his arm.
"No."
Marcus turned sharply.
"What?"
"Victor doesn't build bombs to kill."
Marcus frowned.
"He builds them to control people."
"What if you're wrong?"
Richard's answer came without hesitation.
"Then we have nine minutes to prove I'm right."
Inside the Warehouse
Jonathan Thorne never took his eyes off Victor.
"You've become exactly what Anthony feared."
Victor smiled.
"And you've become exactly what I expected."
He walked slowly across the concrete floor.
Rainwater dripped from his coat.
"You still believe this story is about money."
"It stopped being about money twenty-three years ago."
Jonathan remained silent.
Victor stopped only a few feet away.
"This is about balance."
"You built an empire."
"I built a shadow."
"You were celebrated."
"I was erased."
Jonathan finally spoke.
"You murdered innocent people."
Victor shrugged.
"They were standing in the way."
David Mercer stepped forward.
"Victor."
Victor glanced toward him.
"You don't have to do this."
Victor laughed.
"David..."
"You still think this ends with forgiveness?"
He pointed toward Jonathan.
"He buried my future."
Jonathan answered calmly.
"No."
"You buried it yourself."
For the first time...
Victor's smile disappeared.
Outside
Marcus crouched behind a concrete barrier.
Two security guards patrolled the warehouse entrance.
Military posture.
Professional movements.
Not ordinary hired criminals.
Richard observed them through binoculars.
"They're trained."
Marcus whispered,
"Police?"
"They're still twelve minutes away."
Marcus looked at the warehouse again.
"We don't have twelve minutes."
Richard nodded.
"I know."
Bennett Medical Center
Khloe couldn't sleep.
Something inside her refused to settle.
She looked toward the fetal monitor.
The baby's heartbeat remained steady.
But her instincts screamed that Marcus was in danger.
She reached for her phone.
No signal.
She frowned.
The hospital Wi-Fi had disappeared.
A nurse entered carrying medication.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Thorne."
"We're having technical issues."
Khloe forced a smile.
Then she noticed something unusual.
The nurse's identification badge.
It had been printed only yesterday.
Too new.
The plastic still reflected light differently from every other badge she'd seen.
Khloe had attended hundreds of hospital charity events.
She recognized staff.
She had never seen this nurse before.
The woman smiled warmly.
"It's time for your medication."
Khloe looked directly into her eyes.
"I don't think so."
Warehouse Roof
Hidden behind a ventilation unit, a sniper adjusted his scope.
Crosshairs settled on Jonathan's chest.
His finger rested lightly on the trigger.
Then...
A voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Stand down."
The sniper blinked.
"Repeat?"
"Stand down."
"New priority."
He lowered the rifle.
"What's the target?"
The answer surprised even him.
"Marcus."
Main Floor
Victor looked at his watch.
"Seven minutes."
Jonathan frowned.
"Seven minutes until what?"
Victor smiled again.
"Until your son arrives."
Jonathan's expression changed.
"You sent him the location."
"Of course."
"He would never let his father die alone."
Jonathan took one step forward.
"If you hurt him..."
Victor interrupted.
"You still don't understand."
"I don't want your son dead."
Jonathan looked confused.
Victor leaned closer.
"I want him to choose."
"Choose?"
"Between saving you..."
He pointed toward David.
"...or saving the truth."
Jonathan followed Victor's finger.
Behind David stood a large steel vault Marcus had never seen before.
Victor placed his hand on the vault door.
"Everything is inside."
"Every original document."
"Every recording."
"Every name."
"The evidence that can destroy every lie ever told."
Jonathan whispered,
"You kept it."
Victor nodded.
"I preserve history."
Jonathan looked into his eyes.
"No."
"You weaponize it."
Hospital Recovery Suite
The fake nurse set the syringe on a tray.
Khloe's heart began pounding.
The woman's smile never faded.
"You've had a difficult evening."
"You need to rest."
Khloe slowly pressed the emergency call button hidden beneath her blanket.
Nothing happened.
The light didn't activate.
The button had been disconnected.
The nurse noticed.
"I'm afraid no one is coming."
Khloe instinctively wrapped both hands around her stomach.
"What do you want?"
The woman's expression became completely emotionless.
"Instructions."
She picked up the syringe.
"And unlike Isabella..."
"I never fail."
Outside the Warehouse
Marcus checked his watch.
05:12
He looked toward Richard.
"I'm going in."
Richard grabbed him again.
"If Victor expects you through the front..."
Marcus finished the sentence.
"...then we enter another way."
Richard smiled for the first time that night.
"Exactly."
David had once shown Richard the warehouse blueprints decades earlier.
He pointed toward a drainage tunnel beneath the loading dock.
"That tunnel leads directly under the main floor."
Marcus nodded.
They disappeared into the darkness.
The Countdown
Inside the warehouse...
Victor's remote displayed:
03:47
Jonathan suddenly understood.
"You never intended to kill me."
Victor tilted his head.
"No."
"I intend to make Marcus watch."
Jonathan lunged without warning.
The two older men crashed into a stack of wooden crates.
The remote flew from Victor's hand.
David dove toward it.
A gunshot exploded.
The bullet struck the concrete inches from David's fingers.
Victor's guards opened fire.
Jonathan tackled Victor again.
The countdown continued.
03:19
Beneath the warehouse floor...
Marcus and Richard emerged from the drainage tunnel.
They could hear gunfire above them.
Marcus whispered,
"We're underneath."
Richard looked around.
A narrow maintenance ladder led upward.
Marcus placed his hand on the first rung.
Just before climbing...
His phone vibrated.
One final anonymous message appeared.
It contained only six words.
Khloe isn't alone anymore. Hurry.
Marcus's blood ran cold.
Victor had forced the impossible.
If he stayed, he might save his father.
If he left, Khloe and their unborn child could die.
And somewhere in the hospital...
May you like
A woman in a nurse's uniform slowly lifted a syringe toward Khloe.
End of Chapter 9
