Chapter 5: The Breach Attempt
Chapter 5: The Breach Attempt
A massive, reverberating THUD echoed through the museum.
Dust drifted down from the vaulted ceiling. The crowd screamed, scattering toward the edges of the room, seeking shelter behind marble statues and display cases.
THUD.
They were using breaching charges on the main entrance. The floor vibrated beneath my heels, but the steel shutters didn't even buckle.
“He’s going to kill us all!” a woman shrieked, clutching her diamond necklace as if it could shield her.
“He’s trying to,” I corrected loudly, ensuring everyone heard me. “Richard Holloway knows that if this room falls into the hands of federal authorities, he spends the rest of his life in a supermax prison. To him, the hundred people in this room are acceptable collateral damage.”
I walked over to where Grant was sitting. He was shaking. The reality of his father’s ruthlessness was finally penetrating his thick skull.
“He wouldn't,” Grant whispered, looking at the ceiling as another muffled explosion rocked the building. “I’m his son.”
“You’re a liability,” I said coldly. “You just assaulted a woman in front of a hundred witnesses, triggering a lockdown that exposed his entire empire. You really think he’s trying to rescue you?”
I leaned down, forcing him to look at the bruise on my face.
“He’s trying to bury you with the rest of us.”
May you like
I pulled my tablet back out. I accessed the external PA system of the museum. Outside, my voice boomed through hidden speakers, echoing off the city skyscrapers.
“Richard Holloway. This is Mara Vale. The building is impenetrable. You have ten minutes before the local authorities arrive. I suggest you run.”
