Chapter 9 - The Truth Will Out
The guard stepped forward, reaching for the flash drive in Claire’s hand.
But Claire didn't back down. She stood tall, her eyes burning with a fierce, aristocratic authority that made the guard hesitate.
"Gary," Claire said, her voice echoing in the small server room. "It’s over. The file has already been transmitted. The encrypted backup was sent to the NTSB five seconds ago. By tomorrow morning, the FAA will halt the launch of every BA-320 in the country."
Gary’s smile faltered, his face turning a dangerous shade of pale. "You’re bluffing. The fire at the auditing firm—"
"The auditing firm was just a distraction, Gary," Ethan said, stepping in front of Claire. "You forgot that engineers always keep a redundant backup. I had the original raw lab data saved on a secure personal server before you ever framed me. Claire’s download tonight was just to match the digital signatures. The NTSB has had the raw data for three hours."
Gary stared at Ethan, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and sheer panic. He realized the truth. The trap hadn't been for Ethan and Claire.
The trap had been for him.
"You... you ruined me," Gary whispered, his hand shaking as he pointed the revolver at Ethan's chest. "Everything I built... the contracts... the bonuses... it’s all gone."
"You ruined yourself, Gary," Claire said, her voice dropping into a quiet, icy register. "You put a price tag on human lives. My father would have despised you."
"Your father was a fool!" Gary screamed, his finger tightening around the trigger. "And so are you!"
Bang.
The gunshot echoed deafeningly in the enclosed room.
But it wasn't Gary’s gun that had fired.
Gary gasped, his revolver slipping from his hand as he collapsed to the floor, his thigh bleeding from a clean wound.
Standing in the doorway, holding a service pistol, was Marcus—the veteran gate guard Claire had mentioned earlier. Behind him stood six uniformed Cleveland police officers, their weapons drawn.
"Drop your weapons!" the lead officer shouted.
The security guards immediately threw their guns to the floor, raising their hands in surrender.
Marcus walked into the room, giving Claire a respectful nod. "I’m sorry it took so long, Ms. Bennett. The electronic locks on the stairs were jammed, but we managed to bypass them."
Claire let out a long, shuddering breath, her knees nearly giving out. "Thank you, Marcus. You arrived exactly on time."
As the police officers handcuffed Gary and led him away, Gary glared at Ethan with a venomous hatred. "This isn't over, Barnes! You’re still a nobody! You’ll still be fixing toilets in Brierwood for the rest of your life!"
Ethan didn't answer. He looked down at the flash drive in Claire’s hand, the silver metal gleaming in the server lights.
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He had won.
Not for the money. Not for the title. But for the promise he had made to Megan, and the lives he had saved.
