104 "Beyond the Glass and Blood: Where Corporate Greed Feeds a Deadly Conspiracy, a Risen Ghost Shatters a Fake Dynasty, and the Ultimate Vengeance Begins at Dawn"

Footsteps clattered against the concrete floor of Sub-Level 4—heavy, disciplined, and moving fast.

“Dominic!” a voice boomed across the cavernous garage, echoing off the concrete pillars. It wasn't Anthony. It was a lower, gravelly voice belonging to Viktor Vance, Veronica’s uncle and the head of security for their corporate syndicate. “You can’t outrun a city-wide lockdown, boy! The perimeter gates are already sealed!”

I didn't answer. I dropped to my knees, blindly patting the magnetic box beneath the driver’s side chassis. My fingers brushed cold metal—*click*—the box dropped into my palm. I popped the latch, grabbed the spare ignition key, and vaulted into the driver’s seat.

Grace was already locked inside, hyperventilating as she shoved the Moretti Logistics ledger onto the floorboards.

“Start it! Please, Mr. Moretti, start it!” she sobbed.

I jammed the key into the ignition and turned it hard. The engine sputtered, coughed twice, and then roared to life with a deep, rumbling bass that vibrated through the floorboards.

Simultaneously, two armed security guards emerged from the stairwell shadows, leveling tactical carbines straight at the windshield.

“Hold your fire! Shoot out the tires!” Viktor yelled, stepping out behind them with a heavy-caliber automatic raised.

I slammed the gearshift into reverse, stomped the gas pedal, and the van leaped backward like an enraged animal, its rear bumper smashing into a concrete pillar with a sickening crunch that cleared the glass of our tail-lights.

“Hang on!” I roared.

I whipped the wheel hard, slammed it into drive, and floored the accelerator. The tires shrieked against the concrete, throwing up a cloud of white rubber smoke as we rocketed straight toward the security guards.

The guards scattered to either side, firing wildly. A stray bullet punched a clean, star-shaped hole through the passenger-side window right beside Grace’s head, showering her with tiny glass crystals.