Chapter 7 - The Ambush at the Bank
Julian didn't panic. His reaction was immediate, precise, and entirely devoid of wasted motion.
He snatched the flash drive and the black notebook from the table, shoved them into his coat pocket, and grabbed Evelyn's hand, pulling her behind the heavy steel door of the vault.
"Gabriel!" Julian barked. "Hold the stairs!"
"Already on it, boss!" Gabriel pulled his suppressed weapon from beneath his jacket, stepping toward the iron railing of the basement staircase just as three men in tactical vests rushed down the stone steps.
The sound of gunfire echoed through the subterranean chamber—sharp, muffled thuds as Gabriel fired three rounds with terrifying speed. The lead attacker tumbled backward down the steps, his weapon clattering across the marble floor.
"How many?" Julian demanded, pulling a compact 9mm sidearm from his shoulder holster.
"At least eight upstairs," Gabriel reported, reloading his magazine with a smooth, automatic motion. "They aren't trying to hide it, Julian. They brought automatic carbines. Vincent must have realized we were coming for the drive."
Evelyn was crouched against the cold steel safety deposit boxes, her hands clasped over her ears, her eyes wide with terror. The instinct to freeze—the reflex that had kept her alive in the basement—threatened to paralyze her again.
Julian dropped to his knees beside her, his hand gripping her shoulder with firm, grounding pressure.
"Evelyn! Look at me!" he commanded.
She looked at him. His gray eyes were entirely calm, terrifyingly focused.
"We aren't going back up those stairs," Julian said. "This bank was built in 1924. There's a old utility tunnel behind the safe deposit structure that connects to the subway ventilation system on Eighty-Fifth Street."
"How do you know that?" she gasped over the sound of more gunfire echoing down the stairwell.
"I built the security systems for this entire district six years ago," Julian said with a ghost of a sharp smile. "Gabriel! Cover the rear door!"
Julian pulled a heavy bronze key from his vest pocket, ran to the far wall of the vault, and inserted it into a hidden keyhole disguised as a brass wall sconce. With a heavy, grinding sound of gears, a section of the steel shelving swung inward, revealing a dark, narrow brick corridor that smelled of damp earth and rust.
"Go! Move!" Julian urged, guiding Evelyn into the tunnel before stepping in himself.
Gabriel fired two final rounds up the stairwell to keep the attackers pinned, stepped into the tunnel behind them, and pulled the hidden steel door shut, locking it from the inside.
The deafening roar of the bank alarms faded into a low, muffled thrum.
Evelyn stumbled in the dark, but Julian’s strong hand caught her instantly around the waist, holding her steady against his side.
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"Keep moving," Julian whispered into her ear, his warm breath fanning across her neck. "We have three blocks of dark before we reach the street. Hold onto my coat."
She grabbed the wool fabric of his dark coat like a lifeline, letting him lead her through the shadows away from the men who had come to kill her.
