Chapter 29 - The Enemy Within | The flashlight beam cut through the damp air of the underground bunker. Wine racks lined the stone walls, dating back to the late 1800s.
"We need an exit route," I said, forcing my racing heart to slow down. "A house like this wouldn't have a safe room without an emergency escape tunnel."
"Looking for it now," Marcus said, sweeping the flashlight beam across the far wall.
"Claire..." Mara whispered, her voice sounding oddly distant.
I turned to look at her. She was standing near a secondary control panel near the heavy steel entrance door. In her hand, she wasn't holding a phone or a flashlight.
She was holding a small, silver remote control.
"Mara? What are you doing?" I asked, a cold knot forming in my stomach that had nothing to do with Richard Vance.
"I'm sorry, Claire," Mara said quietly, her eyes shimmering with tears in the weak light. "I really am. You were a good friend."
Marcus froze, slowly turning his flashlight toward Mara. "Put the remote down, Mara."
"I can't, Marcus," she said, her finger hovering over the red button. "Richard wasn't the one who hired Aegis Protocol. He was just the distraction."
The world seemed to stop turning. The air left my lungs.
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"What are you talking about?" I whispered, taking a cautious step forward. "Mara, you helped me find the paper trail!"
"I created the paper trail," Mara corrected, her voice cracking with emotion. "I planted the evidence pointing to Richard so you would come here tonight. Away from your city security, away from the media, far away from any witnesses."
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