Chapter 23 - The Ghost Returns
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Victor looked exactly as I remembered him, except for the jagged, angry burn scar that stretched from his jawline up to his left temple—a souvenir from the explosion I had trapped him in three years ago. His eyes were dead, cold, and entirely devoid of mercy.
Silas opened fire immediately, his rifle tearing through the two lead mercenaries. But Victor’s men returned fire with overwhelming force, pinning Silas behind a steel support pillar.
"Julian!" Victor's voice echoed over the gunfire, smooth and arrogant. "You always were dramatic! Did you really think you could outsmart me twice?"
I grabbed Mara and pulled her behind the heavy server racks. Bullets shredded the computer monitors above our heads, showering us in sparks and shattered glass.
"The transmission," Mara whispered frantically, pointing to the main screen.
The upload bar to the federal agencies was only at 60%. If Victor destroyed the server before it finished, the Ledger would remain a secret, and he would still have his power.
"Keep your head down," I ordered, drawing my Glock.
I leaned out from behind the servers and fired three shots, dropping a mercenary who was flanking our position.
"Cease fire!" Victor barked. The barrage of bullets stopped, leaving a heavy, ringing silence in the warehouse.
"It's over, Julian," Victor called out, slowly walking forward, using his remaining men as human shields. "Marcus signaled me the moment you breached the corporate vault. I let you come here. I let you think you were winning."
"You're too late, Victor," I yelled back, checking my magazine. Four bullets left. "The Ledger is already transmitting to Interpol. Your accounts are burned. Your cartel friends are going to skin you alive."
Victor chuckled, a dark, raspy sound. "Do you think I care about the money anymore? The money is a tool. This is about pride, Julian. You humiliated me. You took my empire. And for that, I am going to make you watch as I put a bullet in your beautiful bride, and then I'm going to pay a visit to your four little boys."
A primal, blinding rage ignited in my chest.
I looked at Mara. She wasn't crying. She nodded at me, a silent agreement. We were not going to die in this warehouse.
I looked at the transmission screen.
98%... 99%... 100%. TRANSMISSION COMPLETE.
"The file is sent," I yelled out. "You have nothing left!"
May you like
Victor’s face twisted in fury. "Kill them all!"
Before his men could raise their weapons, the sound of screeching tires echoed outside. An armored SWAT vehicle smashed straight through the loading dock wall, bricks and metal flying everywhere. Mara’s father had called in the cavalry.
