Chapter 8 - THE MECHANIC'S GAMBLE
The red light on Mia’s vest was blinking in rapid, erratic bursts. A high-pitched whining sound began to emit from the canvas.
"Ten seconds," Silas wheezed, smiling a bloody, broken smile. "Even if you kill me, Julian, I win."
Nora stared at the remote in her mud-caked hands. Red button. Green button. Toggle switch. Her brother Leo’s voice echoed in her head from a memory a decade old, back when they were stripping down a stolen stereo system.
“Red is never dead, Nora. The manufacturer wants you to think red is the kill switch. It’s always the bypass.”
But this wasn't a stereo. It was military C4.
"Nora!" Julian shouted, desperation tearing his voice apart.
Mia squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the silver St. Christopher medal around Nora’s neck. "It’s okay, Nora. I'm brave."
Tears blurred Nora’s vision. She looked at the toggle switch. It had a tiny groove worn into the side of the plastic, as if a thumb had pushed it back and forth a hundred times. Silas had used this remote before. He was arrogant. He wouldn't rely on a button he could accidentally press in his pocket. He would use a hard physical switch.
Click.
Nora flicked the toggle switch down.
The high-pitched whine immediately died. The red light on Mia’s chest turned solid green, and the heavy steel padlock on her back sprang open with a loud clack.
Nora didn't wait. She ripped the vest off the little girl and hurled it as far as she could down the ravine.
She covered Mia’s body with her own. Julian threw himself over Silas, shielding himself.
Nothing happened.
The vest sat harmlessly in the mud. It was completely disarmed.
Silas’s laughter died in his throat. He stared at Nora, genuine shock replacing his arrogance. "How..."
"I fix cars for a living," Nora gasped, pulling Mia tightly to her chest, feeling the little girl’s wildly beating heart. "I know how broken things work. And you’re just broken."
Sirens echoed in the distance. Real sirens this time. Red and blue lights began flashing through the trees at the top of the ridge. The explosion at the boarding school had drawn the state police.
Silas sneered, looking up at Julian. "The cops. Perfect. They’ll arrest us both, Julian. Your empire will crumble while you sit in federal prison. You’ll lose the girl anyway."
Julian stood up slowly. He looked down at the man who had raised him, the man who had ordered the murder of Leo, who had strapped a bomb to a seven-year-old child.
"You’re right, Silas. The empire is over." Julian holstered his gun. He reached into his coat and pulled out a thick, sealed envelope. He tossed it onto Silas’s chest.
"What is this?" Silas demanded.
"Every ledger, every bank account, every corrupt politician on the payroll. I’ve been compiling it for a year," Julian said softly. "I was going to burn it. But I think the FBI will find it much more interesting. You’re going to spend the rest of your life in a supermax facility, Silas. And the Five Families will know you were the one who got caught with the evidence."
Silas’s face went completely pale. "You’re signing your own death warrant. They’ll hunt you."
"Let them try," Julian said. He turned his back on his uncle.
Julian walked over to Nora. He dropped to one knee in the mud, his expensive clothes ruined, his face bloodied and bruised. He looked at Mia, who was shivering in Nora’s arms.
"Mia," Julian whispered, tears finally breaking free and tracking through the dirt on his face.
Mia let go of Nora. She threw her arms around Julian’s neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Daddy. I knew you’d come."
Julian held her so tightly it looked like he was trying to fuse them together. "I’m here, baby. I’m never leaving you again."
Nora watched them, a profound sense of peace washing over her exhausted body. She had saved them. She had honored Leo.
State troopers swarmed down the ravine, flashlights cutting through the dark. "Hands where we can see them!"
Julian stood up, holding Mia with his good arm. He reached down and offered his hand to Nora.
May you like
"We need a ride," Julian said softly, looking at her with a gratitude so deep it took her breath away.
Nora took his hand. It was warm. "I know a guy."
