Chapter 16 - The Dead Man Walks
Voss stepped out of the shadows wearing a tactical vest over his uniform. Behind him stood two guards with their weapons lowered but ready. His supposed death notice had been theater, designed to flush Mercer and Avery into the open.
“You framed him for murder,” Avery said.
“Nothing motivates a fugitive like a murder charge,” Voss replied. “And nothing motivates a sister like family.”
Rourke aimed his pistol toward Voss. “The deal was to extract Emma.”
“The deal changed.”
Avery watched Voss, not his weapon. He favored his right knee. In the training room he'd been standing with weight shifted to the other side. It was a detail she'd missed while scanning the camera. He wasn't just the administrator of the exercise. He'd been preparing for this for days.
Voss smiled at Emma. “You built a beautiful system. We'll need you to open it.”
Emma shook her head. “If I do, it sends a copy to the inspector general and every family named in the files.”
“Not if I disconnect the outside line.”
“You can't disconnect what you can't find.”
Voss's face hardened. He signaled one guard toward Avery. Mercer moved to block him, then stopped when the second guard aimed at Emma.
Avery lifted her hands. “Take me. Let the others go.”
Voss laughed. “That's what you said at your last disciplinary hearing. You have a habit of trying to save everyone.”
“Not everyone,” she said. “Just the people worth saving.”
A radio crackled on the guard's shoulder. Ruiz's voice came through, distorted but clear: “The files are live. Repeat, the files are live.”
May you like
Voss lunged for his own radio. His expression told Avery everything.
The evidence had escaped his reach.
