Chapter 13: The Upload
272 Words
The first bullet shattered the window, sending glass raining down onto the floor. I flinched, but I didn't let go of the wire. My eyes were locked on the tablet screen: 45% uploaded.
"Stay down, Ava!" Silas shouted. He was positioned by the door, a heavy iron poker from the fireplace in his hand. He wasn't just a businessman anymore; he was a protector.
Outside, I heard the heavy crunch of boots on the porch. Julian Thorne’s voice boomed through the thin walls. "Give me the chip, Silas! Don't let this girl die for a secret that doesn't belong to her!"
Silas didn't answer. He looked at me, and for a split second, the cold mask broke. "How much longer?"
"62%," I whispered, my hands shaking.
The door groaned as someone kicked it. Silas braced his shoulder against the wood, fighting to keep them out. Another bullet tore through the wall, inches above my head. I wanted to run, to hide under the bed, but I remembered my mother's handwriting in the journal. She had trusted Silas’s father, and now I had to trust Silas.
"Thorne is lying!" Silas yelled back. "The secret belongs to Ava. It was her mother's legacy, and you stole it!"
85%... 90%...
The door finally gave way with a sickening crack. Two men in black tactical gear burst in. Silas moved like a blur, swinging the iron poker and knocking the first man back into the snow. But the second man aimed his weapon directly at me.
"Let go of the wire, girl," the man growled.
I looked at the screen. 99%...
"Never," I said.
UPLOAD COMPLETE.
- Writer
