Chapter 10 - The Crossfire and the Iron Grip
The warehouse erupted into a deafening symphony of gunfire and flashing muzzle blasts. Bullets ricocheted off the corrugated steel walls, whining into the night air as Sterling’s guards scrambled for cover behind the massive shipping containers.
Marcus laid down a suppressing fire from the upper gantry, neutralizing two guards before they could even unholster their weapons. Callum moved forward with cold, mechanical efficiency, his movements precise and economical. He didn't waste a single shot.
Viktor Sterling, realizing the ambush had completely backfired, turned and sprinted toward a side exit leading out toward the runway tarmac. “Marcus, cover the rear exits!” Callum shouted into his comms, breaking into a sprint after Sterling.
The freezing wind hit Callum like a physical wall as he burst out onto the open tarmac. In the distance, a private twin-engine jet was idling on the runway, its turbines whining a high-pitched scream as it prepared for an emergency takeoff.
Sterling was halfway across the wet concrete, his breath pluming white in the freezing air, when a heavy shadow detached itself from the landing gear of a nearby cargo plane and cut off his path.
Sadie.
She stood directly in the center of the tarmac, wearing Callum’s oversized wool coat, her bandaged leg planted firmly on the cold concrete despite the throbbing pain. In her hand, she held not a gun, but the heavy steel ledger portfolio raised like a club.
Sterling stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the museum appraiser blocking his escape. “You—!” Sterling snarled, reaching inside his coat for a concealed revolver.
Before his fingers could wrap around the grip, a heavy, gloved hand clamped around his shoulder with bone-crushing force from behind. Callum spun Sterling around and slammed him hard against the cold metal fuselage of the cargo plane.
“The game is over, Viktor,” Callum whispered, his voice dangerously low as he pressed the barrel of his gun directly beneath Sterling’s chin.
Sterling choked out a desperate laugh, blood trickling from a graze on his temple. “You think killing me stops it, Callum? The cartel already has copies of the manifests. Your entire empire is going down in flames.”
Callum didn't blink. He looked over at Sadie, who walked slowly up to them across the tarmac, her expression as cold and steady as granite. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a flash drive containing the decrypted backup of the entire ledger, and held it up to the light of the idling jet.
May you like
“The cartel doesn't have the decryption keys, Mr. Sterling,” Sadie said quietly. “And neither do you.”
With a swift, decisive motion, Callum’s finger tightened on the trigger.
