Chapter 12: The Iron Shield
"If I can't kill you, I'll take what you love."
Cassandra’s words hung in the air for a fraction of a second, heavy and venomous. She shifted her aim, pointing the heavy silver revolver directly at the thick iron door of the woodstove where Lily was hiding.
Marcus didn't think. He didn't weigh the odds. The primal, roaring instinct of a father protecting his child took over completely.
As Cassandra’s finger tightened on the trigger, Marcus lunged.
He didn't fire his own weapon—he knew the muzzle flash and deafening sound in such close quarters could deafen Lily inside the iron chamber. Instead, he threw his entire body weight forward, crossing the distance between the kitchen island and the stove in a blur of desperate motion.
BANG.
Cassandra fired. The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed cabin. The heavy caliber bullet sparked against the cast-iron side of the stove, ricocheting with a high-pitched whine and burying itself in the wooden floorboards just inches from Marcus’s leg.
Before she could cock the hammer back for a second shot, Marcus collided with her.
He slammed into Cassandra’s midsection like a freight train, driving her backward into the heavy oak dining table. The wood splintered under their combined weight. Cassandra screamed, the revolver flying from her grip and clattering into the dark corner of the room.
She fought like a cornered animal, raking her manicured nails across Marcus’s face, drawing deep, bloody lines down his cheek. "I hate you!" she shrieked, kicking wildly at his legs. "You ruined my life!"
"You ruined your own life!" Marcus roared, pinning her arms down with crushing force. He grabbed a zip-tie restraint from his tactical belt—one Hayes had left on the table—and secured her wrists to the heavy iron leg of the dining table.
Cassandra thrashed, sobbing in rage and pain, but she was trapped.
Marcus staggered back, chest heaving, wiping the blood from his cheek. He turned to the cast-iron stove. "Lily? Bug, are you okay?"
There was a muffled sound from inside, but no cry of pain. The iron had held.
Before Marcus could even catch his breath, a massive shadow filled the blown-out doorway of the cabin.
Yuri, the hulking Russian mercenary, stepped into the room. His face was covered in a terrifying skull mask, his tactical armor scarred by wood splinters and debris. In his massive hands, he held an assault rifle, the red laser sight cutting through the smoke and landing squarely on the center of Marcus’s chest.
"Move away from the computer, Mr. Vale," Yuri commanded, his deep voice vibrating with lethal authority.
Marcus froze. He glanced at his laptop. The screen was still glowing blood-red.
SYSTEM UPLOAD: 02:14... 02:13... 02:12...
"Yuri!" Cassandra screamed from under the table, her voice raw with desperation. "Kill him! Kill him and get the drive! Viktor will pay you a fortune!"
Yuri didn't even look at her. "Shut up, stupid girl. Viktor does not care about you." He locked his cold, dead eyes on Marcus. "Cancel the upload, Vale. Enter the bypass code. Do it now, or I shoot you in the stomach and let you bleed out while watching me pry open that stove."
Marcus felt a cold spike of pure terror pierce his heart. Yuri knew Lily was inside.
"If I cancel it," Marcus said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline flooding his veins, "you'll kill us anyway."
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"If you do not cancel it," Yuri replied, cocking the assault rifle, "I will ensure your death is the most painful experience of your miserable life."
Marcus looked at the timer. Two minutes. He just needed to survive for two minutes.
