Chapter 11
Arthur slammed his shoulder against the heavy steel door, throwing his full weight behind it, and it swung inward with a heavy, metallic groan. Clara whirled around from the central terminal, her blonde hair matted with rain and sweat, her face twisted in a mask of feral panic as she clutched a heavy canvas money bag filled with bearer bonds.
"Stay back!" Clara screamed, brandishing a heavy steel paperweight like a weapon as she backed toward the open safety deposit lockers. "You can't stop it! The purge sequence is already uploaded!"
"It's over, Clara," Elena said, stepping calmly into the vault, her eyes fixed steadily on the frantic woman. "The federal marshals are already five minutes behind us. There's nowhere left to run."
"I don't need to run!" Clara laughed hysterically, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. "With these bonds and the bearer certificates, I can buy a new identity in three different countries before sunrise! You think a little paperwork is going to put me away?"
Arthur stepped slowly into the room, his scarred face illuminated by the flickering blue glow of the terminal screen. "You always were ambitious, Clara. Too bad your ambition outstripped your intelligence. Did you really think my brother gave you the master override code?"
Clara froze, her hand hovering over the enter key of the terminal. "What are you talking about? Julian gave it to me!"
"Julian doesn't even know the master override code," Arthur said calmly, taking another step forward. "That code belongs exclusively to the senior managing partner—which, according to the original charter reinstated tonight, is me."
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Clara's eyes widened in sudden horror as she looked down at the screen. The terminal monitor flickered, the green progress bar freezing instantly at 99 percent before turning a stark, unforgiving crimson. A large dialog box appeared reading: ACCESS DENIED. SECURE LOCKDOWN ENGAGED.
"No! No, no, no!" Clara shrieked, slamming her fists against the console in blind rage. She grabbed the canvas bag of bonds and lunged toward the narrow exit corridor, desperate to force her way past Arthur and Elena.
