Chapter 15: The Final Breath of Oak Creek
The blinding flash illuminated the basement stairwell just as Jax threw his entire weight against the makeshift steel lever jammed into the ceiling pipe. With a deafening screech of stressed metal and concrete, the steam sleeve cracked wide open, venting a blinding plume of white vapor that filled the cell in a matter of seconds.
Through the roaring hiss of escaping steam, heavy boots thundered down the steps. Elena dropped back to the concrete floor, coughing violently as the thick, humid heat wrapped around her like a blanket. She braced herself for the final confrontation, expecting a hail of gunfire from the enforcers trapped outside.
Instead, the heavy iron door didn't burst open—it swung outward with a sickening crunch. Standing in the threshold, coughing through the dense fog of steam, was local sheriff Miller himself, accompanied by three state troopers with their weapons drawn and safety vests clearly marked.
“Drop your weapons! Nobody move!” the sheriff shouted, stepping into the cell and sweeping his service pistol across the room.
Jax immediately released the metal pipe, raising his grease-stained hands slowly into the air while stepping away from the ceiling fracture. Mark scrambled up from the floor, his eyes wide with desperate hope.
“Sheriff! My son—Toby is still upstairs in the main office. They rigged the building to blow!” Mark yelled over the hiss of the steam.
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The sheriff’s eyes widened. He turned instantly to th
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