Chapter 8 - THE FIRE IN THE VAULT
Before Harper could object, Gideon kicked open the ventilation grate and dropped twelve feet to the marble floor below like a silent shadow.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The quiet, muffled cracks of Gideon's silenced pistol echoed through the high-ceilinged vault chamber.
Three Russian guards collapsed to the floor before the others even realized they were under attack.
"Ambush!" Volkov screamed, drawing a heavy revolver and firing wildly into the darkness.
Muzzle flashes illuminated the grand marble pillars of the bank basement.
Gideon rolled behind a heavy concrete pillar, returning fire with lethal, military precision.
Harper watched from the open vent above, her pulse hammering in her ears.
A fourth Russian guard maneuvered around Gideon's flank, raising an automatic rifle aimed directly at Gideon's exposed back.
"Gideon! Right!" Harper shouted from the ceiling vent.
Without hesitating, Harper drew her own silenced pistol from her holster, aimed through the vent opening, and squeezed the trigger twice.
The bullets struck the guard in the chest. He dropped his rifle and collapsed backward onto the marble floor.
Gideon flicked his eyes up toward the vent, a look of fierce pride flashing across his face, before turning his gun on Volkov.
Volkov scrambled backward, his revolver empty, his hands raised in panic.
Gideon stepped out from behind the pillar, his suit immaculate, his gun pointed straight between Volkov's eyes.
"G-Gideon..." Volkov stammered, backing up against the heavy iron door of Vault 404. "Wait! We can share the ledger! There are millions in offshore accounts!"
"I don't share," Gideon said coldly.
Pfft.
Volkov fell to the floor, still.
Silence returned to the vault chamber, broken only by the quiet hum of the backup emergency generators.
Gideon lowered his weapon and looked up at the vent.
"Harper," Gideon called out softly. "The floor is clear. Come down."
Harper used an emergency rope ladder attached to the vent frame, sliding safely down to the marble floor beside him.
She landed slightly off-balance on her cast boot, but Gideon caught her instantly, pulling her tight against his chest.
For a long moment, they stood together in the quiet vault chamber, breathing heavily, their bodies pressed together in the adrenaline-soaked air.
Gideon looked down at her face, his thumb gently wiping a smudge of soot from her cheek.
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"You saved my life," Gideon whispered, his dark eyes burning with intense emotion.
"We're partners," Harper replied, her voice steady and true. "Now let's open this vault."
