Chapter 6 - Trapped in the Depths
"I knew you couldn't stay away, little sister," a cold, familiar voice echoed through the basement.
Evelyn spun around, shoving the digital drive and the primary ledger into her trench coat pocket. Standing in the doorway was District Attorney Richard Vance, flanked by a tall, menacing man whose right hand was missing its index finger. The hitman. The man from Chloe’s memory.
"Richard," Evelyn said, keeping her voice steady despite the terror gripping her soul. "You murdered your own brother. You framed an innocent man and condemned him to die. How do you sleep at night?"
Richard laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "Arthur was going to ruin everything. He became self-righteous. He wanted to go to the Feds. And Gavin? Gavin was just collateral damage. A nobody. In less than eight hours, Gavin will take his final breath, and this entire file will be closed forever."
"Not if I leave here with this," Evelyn said, gesturing to the ledger.
"You aren't leaving here, Evelyn," Richard said smoothly. He nodded to the missing-fingered man. "Make it look like a tragic accident. A sister, distraught over her brother's impending execution, taking her own life in the ruins of the family's old church property. Very poetic."
The hitman drew a silenced pistol from his coat and stepped into the room.
Evelyn didn't hesitate. She threw her heavy metal flashlight directly at the hitman’s face, shattering his nose. As he cried out and stumbled, she grabbed the heavy iron safe door and swung it outward with all her might. The solid steel slammed into the hitman’s arm, causing his gun to clatter across the concrete floor.
Richard lunged for the weapon, but Evelyn was faster. She scooped up the gun, pointing it directly at her brother’s chest. Her hands were shaking, but her eyes were fierce.
"Back up!" she screamed. "Both of you, against the wall!"
Richard raised his hands, his face turning a dark, furious crimson. "You don't have the guts to shoot me, Evelyn. You're a defense lawyer. You bleed for the criminals."
"Try me, Richard," she whispered, her voice deadly quiet. "For Arthur. And for Gavin."
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With the gun trained on them, she backed out of the room, slamming the heavy electronic security door shut. She entered a random code on the exterior keypad, locking them inside the secure bunker. She knew the walls were soundproofed and reinforced. It would take them hours to break out.
She ran up the wooden stairs, out into the pouring rain, and leapt into her car. The dashboard clock read 2:15 a.m. Three hours and forty-five minutes until the execution.
