Chapter 7 - The Courier of Glass and Fire
At 10:00 AM, I stepped out of the back of a ordinary grey delivery van parked two blocks from the Massachusetts State House.
I wasn't wearing cashmere or velvet anymore. I wore a heavy blue winter coat, dark trousers, and a scarf wrapped around my face—looking like any other working-class woman walking through the snow-slicked downtown streets.
In my inner jacket pocket, the silver flash drive felt as heavy as a lead weight.
Two blocks away, smoke was rising near the harbor where Roman’s men were clashing with Moretti’s forces. The sound of distant sirens echoed off the skyscrapers, mixing with the cold howling wind.
I kept my head down, my hands thrust deep into my pockets, keeping a steady, natural pace.
Just fifty more yards, I told myself. Just past the fountain.
Suddenly, a black SUV pulled up to the curb ten feet in front of me, its tires screeching against the ice.
The rear door slid open, and two men in heavy coats stepped out. One of them had a scarred neck and eyes as cold as dead stone.
"Clara Vance," the scarred man said, his voice a low, raspy growl. "Mr. Moretti would like to have a word with you."
My blood ran cold, but I didn't freeze. I didn't scream.
I took three steps backward, looking for an exit route. The sidewalk was crowded with pedestrians, but the sight of two burly men stepping out of an idling SUV made people scatter in panic.
"I don't know who you are," I said, keeping my voice loud enough to attract attention.
"Don't play dumb, girl," the scarred man sneered, reaching into his coat. "Give us the drive, and you walk away. Refuse, and we take you with us."
Before his hand could clear his lapel, a white sports car rounded the corner at breakneck speed, mounting the sidewalk curb and blocking the SUV’s path with a deafening screech of rubber!
The passenger door of the white car popped open.
"Get in!" a voice shouted.
It was Sophia!
I didn't hesitate. I lunged into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut just as the scarred man drew a pistol.
BANG! BANG!
Two bullets struck the bulletproof side glass of the sports car, spiderwebbing the surface but failing to penetrate. Sophia slammed the car into reverse, spinning the wheel violently, executed a flawless J-turn, and tore down the one-way street against traffic!
"Are you alright?!" Sophia barked, keeping her eyes glued to the rearview mirror as the black SUV turned to pursue us.
"I'm fine!" I yelled, gripping the dashboard as we flew through a red light. "How did you know they were here?!"
"Roman planted a secondary GPS unit in your coat pin!" Sophia replied, dodging a delivery truck with inches to spare. "Moretti had a spotter near the State House! Hold on!"
Sophia yanked the handbrake, sending the sports car into a drift down an underground parking garage ramp beneath the State Attorney’s building.
The black SUV followed us down into the subterranean darkness, smashing through the wooden security gate!
"There's nowhere left to drive!" I shouted as we reached the bottom floor of the garage, surrounded by concrete pillars and parked police cruisers.
"We don't need to drive anymore," Sophia said with a sharp, dangerous smile.
Suddenly, six marked tactical police vehicles turned on their emergency lights from behind the concrete pillars, boxing the black SUV in completely!
Thirty armed state troopers, led by a tall woman in an expensive trench coat, stepped out with rifles raised.
"STATE POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS! STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE NOW!"
The scarred man and his driver looked around in complete horror. They were surrounded, trapped thirty feet underground in a police ambush. Slowly, their hands went up, and their weapons were thrown out the SUV windows.
Sophia turned off the ignition and looked at me. "State Attorney Sarah Connor was waiting for us. Roman arranged the perimeter half an hour ago."
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I let out a long, shuddering breath, leaning my head back against the leather headrest.
The flash drive in my pocket was safe.
