Chapter 2 - IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Luca heard me. He dodged a brutal punch from Daniel, grabbed a heavy fire extinguisher from the wall, and smashed it into the face of the nearest mercenary.

Daniel staggered backward, drawing his gun, but Luca was faster. He kicked the gun out of Daniel’s hand and slammed him against the steel desk.

“Elena, do it!” Luca yelled, pinning Daniel down.

I scrambled to the central console. The screen flashed a red warning: FINAL AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED. BIOMETRIC SCAN PENDING.

Daniel laughed, blood spilling from his lip. “You’re too late, Elena! It requires my thumbprint! And I’ll gladly hold my breath until you all die, then authorize it myself!”

I looked at Daniel, a cold, fierce calm washing over me.

“You really think I’d leave the master key to a man I knew was a traitor?” I asked softly.

Daniel’s laughter faltered. “What are you talking about? I coded the biometric lock!”

“You coded the front door,” I replied, my fingers flying across the keyboard. “But I built the back door. The self-destruct sequence doesn't need your thumbprint, Daniel.”

I typed in a string of override commands. The screen shifted from a thumbprint icon to a retinal scanner prompt.

“It needs the bloodline,” I said.

I turned to Grace. She was staring at me, her wide eyes filled with fear but absolute trust.

“Grace, baby, come here,” I said gently.

She walked over to me. I lifted her up, ignoring the shouting mercenaries who were recovering from Luca’s attack.

“Look right into the little green light, sweetheart. Just for a second.”

“No!” Daniel screamed, thrashing against Luca’s grip. “Stop her! Shoot the kid!”

A mercenary raised his rifle.

Luca let go of Daniel and threw his own body in front of the console, shielding Grace and me with his back.

Gunfire erupted in the small room.

I heard Luca grunt in pain. Blood splattered onto the console screen.

But Grace didn’t flinch. She stared into the scanner.

BEEP.

RETINAL MATCH CONFIRMED. SECONDARY PROTOCOL ENGAGED.

The screen turned violently red. A new message appeared in bold, black letters.

COMMISSION ARCHIVE COMPROMISED. INITIATING GLOBAL BROADCAST IN 60 SECONDS.

I had done it. I had triggered the self-destruct. Every file, every bank account, every murder order was packaging itself to be emailed to the FBI, Interpol, and every major news outlet in the world.

The heavy steel blast doors hissed, the magnetic locks releasing as the system engaged its final failsafe.

Daniel stared at the screen, his face pale with absolute horror. His empire, built over five years of hiding and betraying, was dissolving before his eyes.

“You ruined everything!” he shrieked.

He grabbed the gun the mercenary had dropped.

But he didn’t point it at me. He didn’t point it at Luca, who was slouched against the desk, clutching a bleeding shoulder.

He grabbed Grace by the arm, yanking her away from me, and pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple.

“Stop the broadcast!” Daniel screamed, his eyes completely unhinged. “Stop it, Elena, or I swear to God I’ll blow her brains out!”

My blood turned to ice. “Daniel, please! She’s your daughter!”

“She’s collateral!” he spat. “Stop the countdown! Ten seconds!”

I stared at the screen.

00:09

00:08

If I stopped it, he would kill us all anyway. If I didn't, he would pull the trigger.

“I can’t,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “It’s locked.”

Daniel cocked the hammer. “Then say goodbye.”

“Daddy, look,” Grace said, her voice eerily calm.

She held up the blue rabbit.

Daniel instinctively glanced down.

In her small fingers, Grace wasn't holding the rabbit. She was holding the small, black, heavy object that had been hidden in the rabbit’s other leg—the one I hadn't found.