Chapter 209: I Love You. Live.
Ryan didn't relax for a second. The two remaining sedans tore through the smoke, right on their tail. Bullets continued to hammer the vehicle. The bulletproof glass was a spiderweb of cracks, making it hard to see.
"Hold tight."
Ryan swerved hard to the right. The SUV smashed through a chain-link fence and bounced into a desolate, abandoned industrial zone.
"Damn it!"
One of the cars tried to pull alongside them to force them into a stop. Ryan rammed his side into theirs. The sedan lost control, slamming into a concrete pillar. The front end crumpled, and white smoke billowed from the engine.
Only one left. But this driver was a maniac. He accelerated, pinning his front bumper to Ryan’s rear, trying to push them toward a deep pit in the center of the factory grounds.
The violent shaking sent Evelyn’s head against the window. She felt dizzy. Ryan slammed the brakes and yanked the handbrake while cutting the wheel. The SUV spun in a semi-circle over the gravel.
CRUNCH!
The tail of the SUV slammed into the side of the sedan, pinning it between two shipping containers.
"Out! Now!"
Ryan pushed his door open and grabbed a dazed Evelyn, sprinting toward the red-brick factory building marked in the journal.
"Where is it? Evelyn, where’s the entrance?" Ryan pulled her behind a stack of oil drums as he reloaded his pistol with his last magazine.
With shaking hands, Evelyn opened the journal. By the faint moonlight, she pointed to a drawing of an old loom. "Workshop Three... underground... number 1998..."
They sprinted into the dark workshop. Evelyn scanned the rows of machines until she saw a metal tag stamped with 1998. She shoved a stack of scrap bins aside to reveal an iron plate with a pull ring.
"Found it!"
Ryan lunged forward. His muscles strained as he pulled the rusted plate open with a screech of metal. A dark staircase led down.
"Go!" Ryan pushed Evelyn inside and followed, pulling the plate shut and sliding a heavy industrial cutter over the top of it.
The basement smelled of mold and dampness. Ryan turned on his phone light. It was a small room with a rusted filing cabinet and a single desk. On the desk sat an old tape recorder and several sealed waterproof bags. Evelyn tore into them.
It wasn't money or jewelry. It was stacks of yellowed documents and several cassette tapes. She picked up one file. The title made her blood run cold.
The Lawrence Family Cleaning Project: Twin Snakes Task Force.
The "terrorist organization" had been created by the original Lawrence patriarch to eliminate rivals and handle the family's dirty work. Eventually, the hound had grown too large and turned on its master.
"Listen to this." Ryan hit play on the recorder.
The tape hissed. Then, the young, desperate voice of Madeleine Lawrence filled the room.
"If anyone hears this, I am already dead... They have assassinated so many rivals. They don't even spare children... Victor wants to destroy it all, but he is too naive..."
Ryan’s fist slammed onto the desk. The truth was out.
Just then, the sound of metal being cut came from above. Sparks showered down through the cracks of the iron plate. Someone was using a torch—or explosives.
"We’re out of time." Ryan quickly shoved the documents and tapes into Evelyn’s arms. He pulled her to a corner where there was a small, inconspicuous ventilation duct. It was barely large enough for one person.
"Crawl through here. The exit connects to the drainage system two blocks away." Ryan ripped off the vent grate and pushed Evelyn toward the hole.
"What about you?" Evelyn clutched his sleeve.
"I’m holding the line." Ryan looked at her with a tenderness and resolve she had never seen before. "If I don't stop them, neither of us makes it. This evidence has to get out. Your mother died for this. It’s the only way we win."
"No! I won't go! We stay together!" Evelyn’s tears blurred her vision. She shook her head violently.
"Evelyn!" Ryan cupped her face and kissed her hard. "Think of Elias. Our son can't lose his mother. Get the evidence to Connor. Make it public. It’s the only way to protect us all."
BOOM!
The iron plate above was blown open. Dust and debris rained down. Beams of flashlights cut through the dark, followed by shouting.
"Go!"
Ryan used his strength to shove Evelyn into the dark, narrow duct. He quickly turned and shoved a heavy metal cabinet over the opening, blocking her in.
"Ryan!"
Evelyn’s scream was muffled by the heavy metal.
Inside the duct, Evelyn crawled through the darkness. Her knees were raw and her palms were cut, but she didn't feel the pain. The only thing she could hear was the faint sound of gunfire and fighting behind her. Ryan was fighting for her life.
She didn't know how long she crawled before a faint light appeared ahead. She pushed the manhole cover aside and scrambled out, gasping for air.
She turned back toward the factory. The red-brick building was engulfed in flames. Sirens wailed in the distance.
"Ryan..." Evelyn knelt on the ground, clutching the evidence to her chest.
Then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Ryan. A short sentence and a real-time location.
[I love you. Live.]
The location showed him inside the burning factory. The red dot blinked a few times... and then went dark.
"NO!"
Evelyn let out a scream of pure agony into the burning night sky.
The signal was gone.