Chapter 27
While the lavish gala was underway, in the dark, damp cell of the federal prison, Garrett Hale sat motionless on his cold iron bed. He looked wretched, with stubble covering his face, but his eyes blazed with utter madness, like a vicious beast waiting for the moment to bite its prey's neck. The burner phone hidden carefully under his mattress suddenly vibrated with a single, short pulse. The death knell had tolled.
Less than ten seconds later, the fire alarm for the entire prison complex screamed deafeningly. Red strobe lights spun wildly, casting glaring red streaks across the concrete walls. Then a synchronized "clack" echoed—the entire electronic door lock system in C-Block burst open simultaneously. A massive and flawless cyberattack by top-tier Black Lotus hackers had breached the central control system.
The doors opened. Hundreds of the most dangerous convicted criminals flooded the common area. They roared, bit, and smashed everything in a bloodthirsty frenzy. Small fires began to erupt, thick black smoke billowing from the ventilation system. Amidst this hellish chaos, a figure dressed in riot gear, wearing a state-of-the-art gas mask, appeared before Garrett's cell.
The fake guard wasn't carrying a baton; he held a suppressed submachine gun and a black duffel bag. He quickly tossed Garrett a guard uniform and a gas mask. "Put it on, hurry! The National Guard will surround this place in five minutes!" he shouted through the mask's filter.
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Garrett hastily stripped off his orange suit, donning the black tactical armor, feeling his heart pounding wildly with excitement. The two fake guards navigated the narrow maintenance corridors, shooting down anyone in their way, leaving behind the madness and gut-wrenching screams of the riot. They reached the parking lot, hijacked an armored laundry transport truck, smashed right through the wide-open outer security gate, and disappeared into the city's torrential rain.
Garrett was free. He had nothing left to lose, no company, no honor, not even his sanity. In his mind right now, there was only one burning, toxic desire left: to take Brooke Vance's life.
