Chapter 8
The heavy mahogany door of the penthouse groaned as a massive breaching ram slammed against it from the outside. Garrett stumbled backward, dropping the brass paperweight. The entire frame shuddered violently.
"Kendra!" Garrett roared, sprinting back toward the office, his survival instincts completely overriding his anger. He needed leverage, and the woman and child were the only bargaining chips he had left.
He burst into the office, but Kendra was gone. The window leading out to the narrow emergency fire escape was wide open, the cold wind blowing the curtains wildly into the room.
Garrett cursed, running to the window and looking down. He could see Kendra scrambling down the rusted metal stairs, clutching their toddler tightly to her chest, slipping precariously on the frost-covered steps.
"You stupid bitch!" Garrett screamed into the wind, turning back to grab the three hard drives from his desk. He shoved them into his jacket pockets.
A deafening crash echoed from the foyer. The front door gave way, splintering inward.
"Clear the rooms! Find the drives!" Cole’s voice boomed through the penthouse.
Garrett knew he was outgunned. He didn't hesitate. He climbed out the window onto the fire escape, pulling the glass shut behind him just as Cole and his armed men burst into the home office.
The icy wind bit through Garrett’s thin white shirt as he scrambled up the fire escape, heading for the roof instead of following Kendra down. He needed higher ground to escape across the adjoining buildings.
Inside the penthouse, Cole surveyed the empty office. He saw the open window and rushed to it, peering down into the alley. He spotted Kendra fleeing into the shadows below.
"The woman is in the alley," Cole spoke into his radio. "Ground team, intercept and secure her. Treat her as a friendly. Where is Hale?"
"I have movement on the roof," one of the tactical men reported, looking up the fire escape.
Cole drew his weapon and climbed out the window, ascending the rusted stairs with rapid, lethal precision.
Garrett reached the flat, gravel-covered roof of the high-rise. He ran toward the edge, intending to jump the four-foot gap to the neighboring building. But the icy surface betrayed him. His leather dress shoes slipped on a patch of black ice, sending him crashing hard onto his side.
He groaned in agony, feeling a sharp pain radiate through his ribs. As he struggled to his feet, a heavy boot slammed down onto the center of his back, pinning him to the frozen gravel.
"Going somewhere, Mr. Hale?" Cole asked, aiming his pistol directly at the back of Garrett's head.
Garrett gasped for air, his face pressed against the icy roof. "You can't do this. I'm a public figure. If I disappear, the police will tear Marcus apart."
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"You aren't going to disappear, Garrett," Cole said calmly, reaching into Garrett's jacket pockets and extracting the three hard drives. "You are going to face a very public, very humiliating federal indictment for corporate embezzlement. And you are going to do it without a dime to your name."
Cole stepped back, keeping his gun trained on Garrett. "Get up. We have a ride waiting for you."
