Chapter 16 - The ambush in the glass corridor
Clara Calloway walked briskly down the glass pedestrian walkway connecting Calloway House to the municipal banking pavilion, clutching the proof of Ethan's forgery in her leather portfolio. The morning sunlight was pale and sickly through the gray smog of the city. Her phone rang continuously—reporters, shareholders, and former friends suddenly wanting explanations. She ignored every single vibration, determined to reach Agent Harris and present the original handwriting samples that would clear her father's company from the federal freeze.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from the shadow of an emergency fire exit, grabbing Clara by the collar and yanking her violently into the dim stairwell. Her portfolio crashed to the floor, spilling legal documents down the concrete steps. Clara opened her mouth to scream, but a damp, gloved hand clamped tightly over her lips. "Make a single sound and I'll drop you down the center shaft," a harsh, ragged voice hissed directly into her ear. It was Ethan. His eyes were bloodshot, his designer shirt torn and stained with soot, and a wild, manic desperation radiated from his shivering frame.
Ethan shoved her against the concrete wall, pinning her shoulders with his forearm while pulling a black pneumatic trigger device from his coat pocket. "Where is the master ledger, Clara?" he snarled, saliva flying from his lips. "The federal agents won't protect you! Julian's men are already downstairs in the basement! Tell Frank to wire sixty-five million to the offshore routing number or I trigger the balance valves right now!" Clara looked at the man she had loved for five years, seeing only a rabid animal stripped of his shallow vanity. Instead of crying, a cold wave of disgust settled over her. "You pathetic coward," she whispered coldly. "You really think my father didn't anticipate this? He built the foundation you're standing on. You don't own the building, Ethan. You never even understood it." Ethan snarled, raising his fist to strike her, but the heavy steel door above them slammed open with a deafening crash.
