Chapter 14 - The meeting in the underground garage
Rain pooled around the flickering fluorescent lights of an abandoned parking structure four blocks away from Calloway House. Ethan Mercer paced beside his leased sports car, biting his fingernails down to the raw quick. A black armored SUV pulled into the bay, its headlights blinding Ethan and forcing him to shield his eyes with his forearm. Two burly men in tactical jackets stepped out, flanking Julian Sterling, who emerged with an unlit cigar between his thin lips. Julian looked at Ethan with the detached disgust a butcher reserves for spoiled meat.
"You look pathetic, Ethan," Julian said, flicking the cigar aside. "Three hours ago, you promised me total control over Calloway's municipal real estate portfolio. Right now, every asset associated with your name is under a federal freeze order." Ethan fell to his knees on the oil-stained concrete, grabbing Julian's coat hem with frantic desperation. "Wait, Julian! Don't cut me off! Frank thinks he won because he has the master key to the penthouse, but he's an old fool who doesn't understand modern engineering! The sub-basement project wasn't just for a club!"
Julian stopped, gesturing for his security guards to halt their advance. "Explain yourself in ten seconds, or you leave here in the trunk." Ethan wiped sweat and rain from his brow, his face twisting into a manic, desperate grin. "During the construction excavation last week, my drilling crew broke into a reinforced steel vault beneath the southern foundation. We couldn't open the door, but we installed pneumatic explosive charges around the hydraulic balance valves. If Frank refuses to sign the transfer documents, I can trigger a structural collapse that will sink the entire south tower six inches into the fault line. The insurance payouts alone will be worth three hundred million dollars, and Frank will take the blame for faulty engineering!" Julian tilted his head, his cold eyes narrowing with dark curiosity. "Do you have the detonator codes?" Ethan reached into his coat and produced an encrypted remote transmitter. "I have the code. But I need your men to help me breach the sub-basement security hatch."
