Chapter 8 - CORNERED IN THE DARK
"I don't care what time it is!" Richard’s voice roared from the top of the stairs, sounding thick with alcohol and fury. "Call the judge back! Tell him I want the emergency order signed by eight in the morning!"
I stood frozen in the dark server room, my hand hovering over the USB drive.
EXTRACTING... 95%... 100%—TRANSFER COMPLETE.
I snatched the drive from the port, slipping it into my jacket pocket, and pushed the steel door shut as quietly as possible.
Footsteps heavy and unsteadily descended the basement stairs.
I ducked behind a massive oak wine barrel just as the basement lights flickered on.
Richard walked into the wine cellar, holding a half-empty glass of scotch. His shirt was untied at the collar, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He walked straight toward the server room door, stopping two feet from where I was crouching in the shadows.
He stared at the steel door. He noticed the tiny blue light on the biometric lock blinking—a sign that the door had just been opened.
Richard’s face darkened. He set his glass down on a table, pulled a small revolver from his belt holster, and clicked the safety off.
"I know someone is down here," Richard growled, stepping toward the barrels. "If you're one of Declan's people, I'm going to put a bullet in your head."
My heart pounded like a jackhammer in my ribs. My hand searched the floor behind me, finding a heavy, unopened bottle of red wine.
Richard stepped around the barrel, raising his gun.
He saw me.
"Victoria?" he gasped, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Before he could pull the trigger, I swung the heavy wine bottle with all my strength.
CRACK!
The glass shattered against his wrist. Richard screamed, dropping the gun onto the concrete floor. The revolver slid across the smooth floor, stopping under a storage rack.
Richard lunged at me, his face twisted in manic rage, grabbing my coat collar and slamming me against the stone wall.
"You stupid bitch!" he spat, his breath hot with whiskey. "You came into my house?!"
"It's over, Richard," I choked out, fighting against his grip. "We have the Aegis files."
"You have nothing!" he roared, raising his fist to strike me.
Suddenly, a massive shadow burst into the basement.
Declan hit Richard like a freight train, tackling him off me and slamming him against the concrete floor. The impact knocked the wind out of Richard with a loud gasp.
Declan didn't hit him. He simply pinned Richard’s arms behind his back with a brutal, military efficiency, forcing his face against the cold floor.
"Touch her again," Declan whispered, his voice low, cold, and terrifyingly calm, "and I will break every bone in your hands."
Richard groaned in pain, completely paralyzed under Declan’s weight.
I leaned against the wall, catching my breath, pulling the USB drive from my pocket and holding it up in the dim light.
May you like
Declan looked up at me, a brief, relieved smile breaking across his face. "You got it?"
"We got it," I answered, wiping a smudge of dirt from my forehead. "Now let's go call the FBI."
