Chapter 20 - The Final Ambush
A deafening explosion of breaking glass filled the condo as heavy tear gas canisters were fired through the shattered windows. Thick, blinding white smoke instantly flooded the living room, choking the air.
"Ambush! Get down!" Hayes roared, tackling me to the hardwood floor as the deafening sound of automatic gunfire ripped through the walls.
Julian’s syndicate had arrived. They were heavily armed mercenaries, repelling down from the roof of the high-rise directly onto my balcony. They didn't care about a quiet extraction; they were here for absolute destruction.
The federal tactical team immediately returned fire, the muzzle flashes illuminating the thick smoke like a chaotic lightning storm. I pressed myself flat against the kitchen island, covering my ears as bullets shredded the beautiful granite countertops above my head.
"We are pinned down!" one of the agents shouted over the radio. "They have heavy tactical armor! We need immediate backup!"
Hayes was crouched beside me, clutching his side. A stray bullet had grazed his arm, leaving a bloody trail on his white shirt. He shoved the platinum locket into my hand.
"Take the fire stairs!" Hayes commanded, his voice raw with pain and adrenaline. "Get to the lobby! The perimeter agents will secure you! Go!"
"I am not leaving you here!" I screamed over the gunfire.
"If they get that locket, everything we did was for nothing!" Hayes yelled, shoving me toward the kitchen service door. "Run, Maya! Run!"
I didn't look back. I burst through the heavy fire door into the concrete stairwell. The alarm bells were shrieking, the sound piercing my eardrums. I sprinted down the stairs, taking them two at a time, my heart hammering furiously against my ribs.
I reached the fifth floor when the heavy door above me slammed open. Heavy tactical boots echoed down the concrete steps. They were following me.
I pushed my legs harder, my lungs burning. I burst through the lobby doors onto the ground floor. The scene outside was pure chaos. FBI vehicles were swarming the building, agents exchanging fire with mercenaries positioned on the street.
I sprinted toward the nearest armored FBI command vehicle.
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"I have the key!" I screamed to the agents taking cover behind the reinforced doors. "I have the locket!"
An agent grabbed my arm, pulling me violently into the back of the armored van just as a spray of bullets struck the metal exterior. I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, clutching the platinum locket to my chest as if my life depended on it. Because it did.
