Chapter 12 - BLOOD AND NUMBERS
The shot shattered the monitor.
Mave dropped behind the desk.
The upload stopped at 64%.
“No!”
Voss walked around the desk.
Mave crawled backward.
“You’ve caused a great deal of trouble.”
“You murdered people for money.”
“So does Vincent.”
“He doesn’t murder children.”
Voss shrugged.
“Everybody has standards.”
His gun rose.
Mave grabbed the keyboard and threw it.
He knocked it aside.
She kicked his knee.
Voss stumbled.
Mave ran through the broken glass.
He caught her dress.
The silk ripped.
She hit the concrete.
Voss reached down.
Then a shot cracked.
Voss froze.
Leo stood on the loading platform.
“That’s for ruining a perfectly good charity event.”
Voss fired toward him.
Leo disappeared behind a steel beam.
Mave scrambled toward another terminal.
Her laptop was still connected to the warehouse Wi-Fi.
She pulled it from her bag.
78%.
The upload had resumed.
“Yes.”
Across the warehouse, Vincent slammed a guard against a forklift.
Salvatore was crawling toward a dropped gun.
Mave saw him.
“Vincent!”
Too late.
Salvatore fired.
Vincent jerked backward.
Mave screamed.
He fell.
Everything inside her disappeared.
She ran toward him.
“Mave, no!” Leo shouted.
Salvatore turned the gun toward her.
“You should have stayed ignorant.”
Mave stopped.
Vincent was on the floor behind him.
Blood spread across his shirt.
Salvatore smiled.
“Your father made the same mistake.”
Mave’s hands shook.
The laptop behind her showed 91%.
She needed time.
“You’re right.”
Salvatore frowned.
Mave continued.
“My father should’ve gone public immediately.”
“What?”
“He trusted people.”
95%.
“He trusted Vincent.”
Salvatore lifted the gun.
“And look where that got him.”
97%.
Mave looked him directly in the eyes.
“He trusted me too.”
98%.
Salvatore’s expression changed.
“What did you do?”
99%.
Mave smiled.
“What accountants do best.”
100%.
UPLOAD COMPLETE.
Three phones around the warehouse began buzzing.
Then five.
Then ten.
News alerts.
Messages.
Emails.
Salvatore looked around.
“What did you do?”
“I balanced the books.”
His face twisted.
He pointed the gun at her.
Mave didn’t move.
A shot exploded.
Salvatore’s gun flew from his hand.
Vincent was sitting upright behind him.
Gun raised.
Bleeding.
Furious.
“Step away from her.”
Salvatore stared.
“You should be dead.”
Vincent looked down at his blood-soaked side.
“You missed.”
Salvatore lunged for another weapon.
Vincent fired.
Salvatore collapsed.
Silence lasted less than a second.
Then sirens sounded outside.
Lots of them.
Leo looked through the loading door.
“We’ve got company.”
Mave dropped beside Vincent.
“Stay with me.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been shot.”
“Again.”
“You say that like it’s a hobby.”
He smiled weakly.
Then his eyes rolled back.
“Vincent?”
His body went limp.
“Vincent!”
Leo ran over.
Mave pressed both hands against the wound.
“Call an ambulance!”
Leo stared toward the approaching lights.
“Mave.”
“What?”
His face had gone pale.
“Those aren’t ambulances.”
Black tactical vehicles crashed through the gate.
Men in federal jackets poured out.
At the front of them stood Agent Charles Walsh.
May you like
The dirty federal agent from Martin’s files.
And he was smiling.
