Chapter 20: The Siege
They never got the chance to leave. The distinct, rhythmic whump-whump-whump of military-grade helicopters rattled the teacups on Elias's shelves. Julian’s men had tracked the micro-SD card.
"EMP shielding," Elias cursed, slamming the laptop shut. "They must have put a passive RFID tracker in the plastic casing of the card itself. They followed it the moment I plugged it in."
Floodlights pierced the cabin windows, illuminating the dust motes in the air.
"Elias Vance!" a voice boomed over a loudspeaker. "We know you're in there. Send the girl out with the drive, and we make this quick."
Elias didn't answer. He kicked away a rug, revealing a heavy iron trapdoor in the floorboards. He grabbed a duffel bag of weapons and shoved the laptop into Chloe’s hands.
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"Down. Now."
As Chloe scrambled into the dark basement, the windows of the cabin exploded inward. The thunder of automatic weapons tore through the wooden walls, shredding the furniture and filling the air with splinters and plaster dust. The siege had begun.
