Chapter 6 - The Descent to the Depths
The subterranean corridors beneath the Sterling estate were carved straight into the bedrock, damp and smelling faintly of stagnant river water and motor oil. Diego moved with swift, silent precision, his polished dress shoes clicking sharply against the ribbed metal flooring of the utility tunnel. Marcus limped slightly behind him, one hand pressed firmly against the bloody handkerchief holding his temple wound together.
"Sir, the loading dock is heavily fortified," Marcus warned, his voice tight with pain. "If the board’s private security detail is down there, they won't hesitate to use force."
"Let them try," Diego replied without breaking his stride. He reached inside his jacket, wrapping his fingers around the cold, checkered grip of a vintage Browning 9mm pistol—a relic from his security-detail days before he inherited the corporate crown. It was a weapon he hadn't drawn in over a decade, but the muscle memory returned instantly.
They rounded a sharp corner, the roar of massive ventilation fans signaling their proximity to the underground shipping bay. Through the wire-mesh window of the heavy fire door, Diego saw the cavernous loading dock. A sleek black armored transport van was idling near the freight elevator. Two armed guards in tactical gear stood beside the open rear doors, and in the center of the bay, standing beside a steel folding table, was corporate board chairman Arthur Vance.
Arthur looked older and more brittle than he had during the last board meeting, but his eyes retained their calculating, predatory gleam. And sitting on a crate beside him, clutching her small patterned handbag and wearing her light pink ruffled dress, was Polina. Her little shoulders were hunched, her head bowed in quiet despair.
Diego raised his left hand, signaling Marcus to hold position.
"Listen to me, Marcus. When I kick this door, I want you to draw their attention to the upper catwalk. Draw their fire away from the child," Diego instructed in a lethal whisper.
"Mr. Sterling, that’s suicide," Marcus protested.
"It’s the only way she gets out of here alive," Diego shot back, his dark eyes locking onto the older man’s gaze. "Do it."
Marcus nodded grimly, gripping a heavy iron pipe he had picked up from the hallway floor.
Diego counted down silently in his head. Three... Two... One...
With an explosive kick, the fire door burst open, shattering its magnetic lock and slamming against the concrete wall with a thunderous crash.
"Hey! Over here, you corporate cowards!" Marcus roared from the doorway, hurling the iron pipe toward the catwalk above before ducking back into the shadows.
May you like
Both tactical guards instantly spun around, raising their rifles toward the upper level. But Arthur Vance didn't flinch. He calmly turned around, pulling a small silver remote from his pocket, and pressed a glowing red button while pointing directly at Polina.
---
