Chapter 5: Shadows in the Rearview
*“I tried to disable the timers,”* Michael’s recorded voice continued, growing weaker as the background noise on the tape picked up the roar of distant flames. *“When the alarm sounded, Beatrice manually locked Sublevel 4 from the master terminal. She knew I had the blueprints. Victor, you were never meant to be down there with me. You were supposed to be at the press gala. She tried to kill us both.”*
A tear slipped from Victor’s chin, striking the cold steel floor. The guilt that had gnawed at his soul for more than a decade morphed into cold, absolute fury.
Suddenly, the harsh sound of squealing tires echoed from the street above.
Leo grabbed Victor’s sleeve. "Someone's outside."
Victor snapped the tape out of the player, shoved the blueprints and drive into his coat, and grabbed Leo’s hand. They dashed up the iron staircase just as the glass doors of the bank lobby shattered inward.
Three men in tactical gear stepped through the broken glass, suppressed handguns drawn.
"Victor Vance!" one of the men called out, his voice modulated. "Leave the case. Miss Sterling wants you to walk away clean. Don't make this messy."
"Get behind the pillar," Victor whispered to Leo.
May you like
Victor reached into his inner pocket. He didn't carry a weapon, but he knew the blueprints of this historic district better than anyone—he had designed the urban demolition grid himself. Reaching into the open maintenance panel beside him, Victor pulled the main circuit breaker, plunging the entire bank into pitch blackness.
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