Chapter 3 - The Shadow Over the Empire
Mark returned fire with rapid, measured shots, dropping the nearest assailant before grabbing Clara by the collar and shoving her into the elevator compartment. ""Take the girl!"" he yelled to the second guard as the heavy metal doors slid shut just as another volley of rounds pocked the steel exterior.
On the floor, Victor had not flinched. He stood over Julian, dragging the younger man upward by his blue lapel until Julian was forced to look directly into the patriarch's pitiless gray eyes.
""Who gave them access codes to the residential garage, Julian?"" Victor demanded, ignoring the bullets chipping concrete just feet away. ""Speak before I leave you to them.""
""Eleanor... she has the master key from the estate vault!"" Julian gasped, his mouth bleeding where he had bitten his cheek during the fall. ""They're not after the corporate funds, Victor! They want the bloodline transfer deeds! If Clara doesn't sign by midnight, the trust defaults to the primary investor!""
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Victor’s eyes hardened. He knew only one group operated with that kind of corporate legal malice backed by mercenary muscle: the Ravenwood Syndicate.
A sharp explosion tore through the garage's auxiliary generator room, throwing the entire subterranean floor into pitch blackness. In the sudden dark, the sound of boots rushed closer, followed by a sickening thud right next to Victor's shoulder.
