Chapter 8
The crimson emergency strobe cast long, distorted shadows across the linoleum floor. Coach Henderson advanced slowly down the corridor, the heavy iron crowbar dragging against the wall with a harsh, metallic screech that grated on everyone's nerves. Sarah let out a sharp gasp, instinctively stepping back and grabbing Maya’s arm.
"Maya, we need to get out of here," Sarah whispered, her voice trembling with genuine terror. "He looks like he’s lost his mind."
Maya didn't move an inch. She gently slid her arm out of Sarah’s grip and stepped forward into the dim red light, her silver cross catching the faint illumination. "Go to the administrative annex, Sarah. Find the open backup terminal and download the physical asset transfer forms. I’ll handle the coach."
"Are you insane? He has a weapon!" Sarah protested, her eyes darting between the towering coach and Maya’s unyielding posture.
"Run, Sarah," Maya commanded, her tone carrying an absolute authority that brooked no argument.
Helsing hesitated for a fraction of a second, then turned and bolted down the intersecting hallway toward the faculty offices. Henderson watched her go, but made no move to chase her. His burning gaze remained locked entirely on Maya as he stopped ten feet away, his chest heaving with rage.
"You think you're untouchable because you locked up their computers, don't you?" Henderson snarled, raising the crowbar slightly. "You think a little code is going to stop what’s coming? You’re just a lonely little girl playing games in a world way out of your depth."
"Games?" Maya tilted her head, her thin-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose a fraction. "Is that what you call embezzling half a million dollars of state athletic funding through fake stadium maintenance contracts? Is that what you call paying off inspectors to ignore structural decay?"
Henderson’s face twisted into an ugly, murderous grimace. "You dug too deep, Lin. Your father tried to play whistleblower in Chicago, and look what happened to his career. Look what happened to his company. We warned him to stay quiet, and we’re warning you right now."
May you like
Maya’s eyes flared with an intense, burning fire—the first genuine flash of raw emotion she had shown since arriving at the school. "So it was you. You and Vance were part of the Chicago syndicate before you transferred down here to launder money through a new district."
Henderson lunged forward with terrifying speed, swinging the heavy crowbar in a vicious arc aimed directly at Maya’s shoulder. The metal whistled through the air, but Maya didn't flinch, her body shifting with practiced, lethal precision.
