Chapter 13 - The North Ridge Chase
The tactical comms unit hissed with frantic static as the lead officer barked immediate counter-orders, mobilizing the extraction team toward the estate's private airfield. Sarah didn't hesitate; she spun around, drawing a service sidearm from her tactical holster and motioning for Julian to follow her up the stone staircase.
"If Marcus reaches that airfield with those drives, every asset tied to this estate—including your corporate portfolio—vanishes into international shell accounts forever," Sarah said sharply, her boots clattering loudly against the stone steps as she sprinted toward the main floor.
Julian scrambled behind her, his tailored grey suit torn and covered in dust, his former aristocratic dignity completely stripped away. They burst out of the hidden alcove into the grand hallway of the mansion. The opulent space was entirely deserted; the fake maid, the infiltration artist, and the household staff had vanished like ghosts, leaving behind only the crystal chandelier casting its brilliant, mocking light over the empty marble floor.
They rushed out through the shattered front doorway into the cold, rainy night. The storm had intensified, lightning slicing jagged lines across the dark autumn sky and illuminating the long gravel driveway where a fleet of black tactical vehicles idled with their engines roaring.
"Get in the SUV!" Sarah commanded, pulling open the passenger door of a reinforced armored vehicle while the tactical team piled into the rear units.
Julian slid into the passenger seat, gripping the dashboard as the driver slammed down on the accelerator. The heavy SUV vaulted forward, spraying gravel in all directions as it tore off the main road onto the private, tree-lined service track leading directly to the north ridge airfield.
Through the pouring rain, the red and green runway lights of the private airfield blinked faintly in the distance. Sitting directly on the tarmac was a sleek, twin-engine private jet, its turbine engines already whining at high pitch, preparing for immediate takeoff. A black luxury sedan was speeding across the open tarmac toward the aircraft's open boarding stairs.
"He's making a run for the stairs!" Sarah shouted over the roar of the engine, leaning out the reinforced window and raising her sidearm.
The armored SUV smashed through the perimeter security gate, sending metal chains and warning signs flying into the air as it surged onto the wet tarmac, cutting a violent diagonal path directly toward the taxiing private jet.
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Inside the fleeing luxury sedan, the rear window rolled down, and Marcus leaned out, holding a heavy cryptographic drive in one hand and a weapon in the other. He aimed directly at the oncoming SUV’s windshield, a manic, desperate grin plastered across his face as lightning flashed overhead.
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