Chapter 14 - Escaping the Velvet Trap
We sprinted through the concrete service corridors of the hotel,
our tactical boots slapping hard against the industrial floors.
Emergency red backup lights pulsed along the walls,
casting long,
distorted shadows down the narrow hallway.
Ahead of us,
we could hear the heavy,
rhythmic footsteps of Mercer and his remaining elite bodyguards escaping toward the underground parking garage.
"He is trying to reach his armored convoy!"
Ethan shouted over the high-pitched hum of the emergency sirens.
"If he gets to the street,
he has private security escorting him all the way to his private airfield!"
"He won't make it to the street,"
I replied,
rounding a sharp corner and coming face-to-face with two mercs waiting at the stairwell landing.
The first guard raised an assault shotgun,
but I ducked beneath his line of fire,
closing the distance in a fraction of a second.
I slammed the palm of my hand upward into his chin,
snapping his head back,
and grabbed his weapon,
twisting it out of his grip.
Ethan stepped up from behind me,
delivering a crushing elbow strike to the second guard's throat,
sending him crashing down the concrete stairs.
We pushed through the heavy steel door at the bottom of the stairwell,
bursting into the vast,
cavernous underground parking garage.
Tires squealed deafeningly against the smooth concrete as a massive black armored SUV backed out of a VIP parking bay at high speed.
Through the heavily tinted glass,
I could see Julian Mercer sitting in the rear passenger seat,
holding a satellite phone to his ear,
desperately coordinating his escape plan.
"Stop the vehicle!"
Ethan yelled,
raising his firearm and firing two armor-piercing rounds directly into the front left tire.
The tire exploded in a cloud of black rubber fragments,
causing the heavy SUV to veer wildly off course and slam hard into a concrete support pillar.
Metal crunched violently,
and steam poured from the crushed radiator as the engine sputtered and died.
The driver's side door swung open,
and a bruised mercenary stumbled out,
reaching for his weapon,
but Ethan tackled him to the ground,
securing his arms in seconds.
I walked up to the rear passenger door,
my pistol held ready at eye level.
I grabbed the heavy door handle,
yanked it open,
and aimed my weapon directly at Julian Mercer's head.
Mercer sat back against the leather seat,
a cut bleeding near his hairline,
his breathing heavy and ragged.
The satellite phone lay shattered on the floor mat beside his polished shoes.
"It is over,
Julian,"
I said,
my voice completely cold,
steady,
May you like
and devoid of emotion.
"Step out of the vehicle."
