Chapter 8
"The black G-Wagon at the end of the row," Corbin directed, breaking into a sprint across the smooth concrete floor.
The garage was an expansive vault of high-end vehicles, but Corbin bypassed the sports cars and sedans, heading straight for the heavy, military-grade SUV. He pulled a set of keys from his trouser pocket, hitting the unlock button. The vehicle chirped, its headlights flaring to life and illuminating the dark concrete walls.
Willa opened the rear door, quickly buckling Juniper into the reinforced child safety seat. She tossed her smartphone onto the passenger seat before sliding in herself.
Corbin climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the heavy armored door shut. The thick ballistic glass muted the sounds of the outside world instantly. He jammed the key into the ignition, and the massive V8 engine roared to life with a deep, guttural growl.
"Buckle up," Corbin ordered, slamming the transmission into drive.
Behind them, the heavy steel fire door shuddered violently. A loud, metallic clang echoed through the garage as Orson’s men began battering the door with a ram. They didn't have much time.
Corbin floored the accelerator. The heavy SUV surged forward, the tires squealing in protest against the polished concrete. They sped up the spiraling exit ramp, bursting out of the subterranean darkness and into the bright, blinding afternoon sun.
As they crested the driveway, Corbin saw the tactical blockade Orson had orchestrated. Two black sedans were parked sideways across the main exit gates, effectively sealing the estate. Four armed men stood behind the vehicles, their weapons drawn and leveled at the approaching G-Wagon.
"Hold on!" Corbin shouted.
He didn't hit the brakes. He accelerated.
"You're going to ram them?" Willa gasped, bracing her hands against the dashboard.
"This chassis is reinforced with a steel ram-bar," Corbin said, his eyes locked on the gap between the two sedans. "Keep your head down."
The guards realizing Corbin had no intention of stopping, scattered, diving out of the path of the speeding juggernaut. A few erratic gunshots rang out, the bullets pinging harmlessly off the ballistic windshield in bright, harmless sparks.
The G-Wagon slammed into the rear quarter panel of the blocking sedan with a deafening, concussive crunch of tearing metal and shattering glass. The sheer mass and momentum of the armored SUV shoved the sedan completely out of the way, spinning it violently across the manicured lawn.
They burst through the wrought-iron gates, the heavy metal doors screeching as they were forced open, and shot out onto the winding, two-lane coastal highway.
Corbin checked his rearview mirror. The estate was rapidly shrinking into the distance, a chaotic blur of bright colors and rising dust. No pursuit vehicles had made it through the wreckage yet.
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"We're out," Corbin breathed, the adrenaline slowly beginning to ebb, leaving a cold, sharp focus in its wake. He looked in the rearview mirror again, catching Willa’s eye. "Thank you. If you hadn't unlocked that door, we would have been trapped in the corridor."
"I told you," Willa said, turning to check on Juniper, who had miraculously slept through the impact. "Nobody does that to a child."
