Chapter 6 - The Collision
The headlights of Daniel’s delivery van illuminated the towering glass entrance of the Lawson Dynamics tower through the blinding blizzard.
Daniel slammed on the brakes, the van sliding sideways across the snow-covered plaza before coming to a violent halt right beside the revolving glass doors.
He didn't wait to turn off the engine. He threw open the driver’s side door, leaped out into the freezing gale, and sprinted toward the entrance.
The glass doors were locked.
Without hesitation, Daniel unbuckled his heavy steel-toed work boot, lifted it high, and smashed the heel directly into the reinforced glass panel.
CRASH!
Glass shattered across the marble floor. Daniel reached through the jagged opening, threw the manual security latch, and rushed inside the lobby.
The lobby was pitch black. The emergency backup lighting cast an ominous red glow down the grand staircase.
Daniel didn't wait for the elevators. He started sprinting up the concrete stairwell, taking the steps three at a time, his lungs burning with frozen air as he fought his way toward the fiftieth floor.
Fifty... forty-nine... forty-eight...
His legs ached, his chest felt like it was on fire, but the image of Lily waiting at home and Emma trapped alone in that tower drove him upward with supernatural fury.
Meanwhile, on the fiftieth floor, the intruder took a step closer to Emma, his weapon raised.
"Any last words, CEO?" the man sneered, his finger tightening around the trigger.
Emma did not flinch. Her dark eyes burned with fierce, unyielding defiance. "You're too late," she whispered. "The audit was transmitted five minutes ago."
The intruder paused, hesitating for a fraction of a second. "What?"
That fraction of a second was all Daniel needed.
The heavy stairwell door at the end of the executive hallway flew open with a tremendous crash.
"HEY!" Daniel roared, charging down the corridor like a freight train.
Both intruders spun around, startled by the sudden intrusion. The second guard raised his weapon to fire at Daniel, but Daniel didn't stop. He threw his entire body weight forward, tackling the guard mid-stride.
They crashed hard against the mahogany bookcase, sending books and decorative sculptures shattering across the floor.
The lead intruder dropped his aim from Emma and pivoted toward Daniel, raising his suppressed pistol to execute him.
Emma didn't hesitate.
Using every ounce of upper-body strength she possessed, she drove her wheelchair forward at full speed, slamming the heavy metal footrest directly into the back of the lead intruder’s knees.
The man buckled with a surprised yelp, losing his balance as he pitched forward onto the carpet. His weapon flew from his grip, sliding across the slick floor into the darkness.
Daniel wrestled the first guard to the ground, pinning his arm behind his back with a bone-crunching twist until the man groaned in pain and went limp.
He scrambled up, breathless, his knuckles bleeding, and rushed over to the second intruder, pinning him against the wall with his forearm pressed hard against the man's throat.
"Who sent you?" Daniel snarled, his eyes wild with adrenaline. "Who hired you?!"
The intruder wheezed, clawing at Daniel’s coat, before spitting blood onto the carpet. "Sterling... Sterling Logistics... you'll never..."
Daniel slammed the man’s head back against the wall, rendering him unconscious instantly.
The office fell silent once more, save for the howling wind outside and the heavy, ragged breathing of Daniel and Emma.
Daniel slowly turned around, walking over to Emma’s wheelchair. His hands were shaking. He looked down at her, checking her arms, her face, her shoulders for any sign of injury.
"Emma... are you okay?" he breathed, his voice cracking. "Did they hurt you?"
Emma looked up at him. The cold, unyielding armor she wore for the corporate world melted away entirely. For the first time since he had met her, the formidable CEO looked entirely human.
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"I'm fine," Emma whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she reached out, grabbing Daniel's bloodied, trembling hand. "You... you came back for me."
"I told you I would," Daniel said softly, squeezing her hand back. "Nobody spends their birthday alone. And nobody fights alone anymore."
