Chapter 9 - The False Bottom
“Don't do it, Marcus!” Maya cried out, her voice cracking with terror.
Marcus didn't listen. With an explosive burst of speed, he lunged sideways, tackling Julian hard against the heavy bookshelves just as a muffled pop echoed through the silencer. A spray of splintered wood exploded from the mahogany shelf inches from Maya’s head.
“Run, Maya! Get out!” Marcus shouted, struggling fiercely with the armed man as heavy volumes rained down around them on the Persian rug.
Instinct overrode fear. Maya dropped her small black purse, grabbed the edge of the heavy mahogany desk, and violently yanked the bottom drawer outward. It jammed halfway, catching on a metal runner. She pulled harder, tears blinding her vision once more as wood splintered. With a sharp wrench, the entire drawer slid out completely, crashing onto the floorboards.
Inside the empty cavity of the desk frame, hidden beneath a layer of green felt, was a secondary compartment secured with a sliding brass latch. Maya flicked the latch open with a bloodied fingernail and pulled out a small, metallic silver external hard drive wrapped in a waterproof pouch.
A sharp struggle behind her ended with a heavy thud. Maya spun around, her breath catching in her throat.
Julian had pinned Marcus to the floor, the heavy butt of the pistol raised high in the air above the attorney's head. Marcus was bleeding from a deep gash on his temple, his eyes glazed with pain as he fought desperately to keep Julian’s hands away.
“Give it to me, girl!” Julian snarled, his composure completely shattered as he looked up at Maya, raising the weapon to pivot toward her.
Without thinking, Maya grabbed a heavy, bronze paperweight shaped like an architectural column off the desk and hurled it with every ounce of strength she possessed. The heavy metal struck Julian squarely in the shoulder, throwing off his aim just enough as he swung downward.
The pistol discharged into the Persian rug with a dull pop, tearing a massive hole in the fabric. Julian cursed, turning his fury entirely toward Maya as he shoved Marcus aside and scrambled to his feet, lunging across the room.
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Maya bolted toward the heavy library doors, clutching the silver hard drive tightly in her hand just as the main front door burst open with a resounding crash.
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