Page 188 of Silent Target

Concrete and steel fill the air.

Victor steps through the breach, rifle raised. His armor is blackened and one arm hangs stiffly from Evie’s bullet.

He looks directly at Mac.

“No more running.”

Mac moves away from the terminal.

“No.”

His voice carries through the vault.

“No more hiding.”

Fathom calls out.

“One hundred percent!”

Cobra rips the data cable free.

The evidence pack lights turn green.

“Move!” Rook orders.

Mac runs toward a narrow service corridor behind the vault cabinets.

We follow.

The purge timer reaches one minute, forty-nine seconds.

Behind us, Victor enters the vault.

He isn’t trying to kill us now.

He’s trying to reach the terminal and erase everything we just stole.

42

EVIE

The service corridor is barely six feet wide.

Exposed pipes crowd the ceiling, and crimson emergency lights make the concrete walls appear to pulse around us.

Mac leads.

Rook follows him.

Caleb stays close enough that his arm brushes mine every few steps.

Behind us, Cobra and Shark exchange fire with Victor’s men while Falcon protects Fathom and the evidence pack.

The pack contains enough secrets to destroy governments.

Fathom looks as though it contains enough weight to destroy his spine.

“You would think secret organizations could use lighter drives.”