Chapter 19
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The alleyway was a blur of brick walls and overflowing dumpsters. Elena drove with terrifying precision, the SUV's tires screeching as she expertly navigated the narrow urban maze. In the rearview mirror, the black pursuit vehicle smashed through a chain-link fence, relentlessly staying on their tail.
"They aren't backing off, Mom!" Chloe shouted over the roar of the engine, her hands tightly gripping the dashboard. "They’re gaining on us!"
"I need a distraction, Chloe. Hack the municipal traffic grid for the next intersection," Elena commanded, her eyes locked on the approaching cross street. "Turn every light red the second we pass through."
"I'm on it!"
Chloe frantically typed code into her tablet, bypassing the city’s outdated security firewalls with practiced ease. "Three, two, one... executing!"
Elena floored the gas pedal, launching their vehicle through the intersection just as the traffic lights in all four directions instantly shifted to solid red. A chorus of blaring horns erupted behind them as civilian cars slammed on their brakes, creating a massive, impenetrable wall of gridlocked traffic right in the path of their pursuers.
The black SUV swerved wildly to avoid a collision, crashing heavily into the side of a delivery truck.
"We lost them," Chloe breathed out, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Only temporarily," Elena said, quickly steering their vehicle into an abandoned underground parking garage to break their visual profile. "Obsidian operatives are highly trained. If they know we are in the city, the safety deposit box is already compromised."
Elena parked the car in the darkest corner of the concrete garage and killed the engine. She pulled out a secure, encrypted satellite phone.
"Who are you calling?" Chloe asked.
"We need backup. Real backup," Elena said, waiting for the line to connect. "Someone who hates the top brass just as much as Arthur did."
The line clicked open.
"I told you to lose this number, Vance," a deep, gravelly voice echoed through the speaker.
"I wouldn't be calling if the sky wasn't falling, Jax," Elena replied smoothly. "Arthur's deadman switch activated. Project Obsidian is hunting us in Manhattan."
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A heavy silence hung on the line before Jax sighed. "Send me your coordinates. I’ll be there in ten with the heavy gear. Don't get shot before I arrive."
Elena hung up the phone, looking at Chloe. "Gear up. The cavalry is coming."
