Chapter 9 - The Train Station Standoff
The interior of Union Station was a cavernous echo chamber of peeling paint and flickering fluorescent lights.
Mark and Evelyn moved silently along the upper catwalk, avoiding the main concourse where two of Arthur’s men were already patrolling.
"Locker 402 is on the sub-level," Evelyn whispered, pointing toward a dark stairwell.
They crept down the concrete steps, the distant rumble of a freight train masking their footsteps.
The locker room smelled of ozone and mildew, rows of rusted metal boxes lining the walls.
Mark found 402, his hands shaking slightly as he inserted the rusted key.
It turned with a stiff click, and he pulled the small metal door open.
Inside sat a black, external hard drive, exactly where Evelyn had left it three years ago.
"Got it," Mark breathed out, sliding the drive into his jacket pocket.
"Touching reunion," a voice echoed from the doorway.
Mark spun around. Arthur Vance stood at the entrance, flanked by three armed men.
Arthur looked impeccable in a tailored suit, his silver hair perfectly combed, looking completely out of place in the grimy basement.
"You're early, Mark," Arthur smiled, tapping a silver cane on the concrete floor. "But then again, so am I."
"How did you know?" Evelyn demanded, stepping in front of Mark.
"You underestimate my resources, dear Evelyn," Arthur chuckled. "I own the pawn shop where you bought that laptop. My men alerted me the moment you logged onto the Wi-Fi."
The armed men raised their weapons, the red laser sights locking onto Mark's chest.
"Hand over the drive and the ledger," Arthur ordered, his polite tone vanishing. "And I'll make your deaths quick."
May you like
Mark looked at Evelyn, his mind racing for a way out.
There was nowhere to run.
