Chapter 6 - The Steel Casket
The heavy blast door swung open with a hiss of releasing air pressure, revealing not a squad of assassins, but the weathered, scarred face of Vance. The old wheelman stood in the opening, a sawed-off shotgun resting casually against his canvas work coat, his eyes squinting through clouding cigar smoke.
""You took your sweet time, boss,"" Vance grunted, spitting a fleck of tobacco onto the wet floor. ""I thought I'd have to scrape you off the reservoir screens.""
""Dominic flooded the sub-tiers,"" Julian said, lifting Maya across the threshold into the sheltered service bay. ""He thinks we're dead. Where's the rig?""
Vance gestured toward the shadows of the loading dock, where a reinforced, matte-black Suburban sat idling silently, its engine muffled by an aftermarket catalytic baffle. Its body panels were lined with quarter-inch ballistic steel, its windows tinted opaque.
""Fuel’s topped, run-flat tires installed, and I rigged the facility’s gate controls to short out the moment we punch through,"" Vance said, opening the heavy rear door for Julian. ""Who's the kid?""
""The reason I'm still alive,"" Julian answered, gently seating Maya onto the leather bench seat and fastening the harness. He pulled a dry wool blanket from the vehicle's emergency cubby and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders. ""She saw Dominic poisoning my tea.""
Vance’s face darkened, the deep wrinkles around his mouth deepening into a scowl. ""I knew that snake had venom in him, but killing kin with rat poison? That's low, even for a syndicate captain.""
Julian climbed into the front passenger seat while Vance threw the Suburban into gear. ""He wants the Zurich meeting. If he presents himself as the sole surviving heir before the council on Thursday, he inherits the global assets.""
""Not if we put a hole in his forehead before breakfast,"" Vance said, stomping on the accelerator.
The big V8 engine roared to life with terrifying torque. The Suburban surged down the underground corridor, picking up speed toward the south perimeter gate. Ahead, the heavy steel roll-up security door was descending rapidly, controlled by Dominic's automated lockdown program.
At the same time, headlights flared from two interceptor sedans idling by the security booth. Armed guards leaped from the vehicles, raising submachine guns toward the charging Suburban.
""Brace!"" Julian shouted, gripping the overhead handle.
Vance didn't tap the brakes. Instead, he slammed his boot flat against the floorboards. The Suburban's reinforced steel brush guard struck the first interceptor sedan broadside, shearing the engine bay off the chassis in an explosion of sparks and shattered glass.
Bullets hammered against the ballistic windshield like hail, fracturing the outer laminate into spiderweb fractures but failing to penetrate. The Suburban slammed into the descending metal roll-up door at fifty miles per hour. The heavy steel gave way with a screeching groan, tearing from its tracks as the heavy vehicle blasted out into the torrential rain of the city streets.
Behind them, sirens began to scream into the night sky. Julian glanced into the side mirror, watching the silhouette of the high-rise tower disappear into the low-hanging storm clouds.
May you like
Maya reached forward from the backseat, touching Julian's shoulder timidly. ""Uncle Julian... my bunny has a hole.""
Julian looked down at the soaked toy in her lap. A stray high-caliber bullet from the gate ambush had clipped the stuffed animal's ear, exposing not synthetic cotton batting, but the edge of a tiny, micro-laminated flash drive hidden inside the doll's head.
