Chapter 20 - The Unseen Cliffhanger
Jax moved like a shadow across the wet tarmac, keeping behind aviation fuel tanks as he approached the side entrance of Hangar 4.
Inside, a sleek private Gulfstream jet sat in the center of the vast concrete floor, its engines idling with a low, thunderous whine.
Fourteen heavily armed private military contractors were positioned around the jet, their eyes scanning the interior perimeters.
Tied to an iron chair near the nose of the aircraft was Maya, her wet blonde hair hanging over her face, her breathing shallow but steady.
Standing five feet in front of her was Victoria Sterling, holding her phone, checking the digital clock on the wall.
"Time's up, Miss Miller," Victoria announced coldly, pulling her silenced pistol from her suit jacket and leveling it at Maya's forehead.
"It seems your hero decided that discretion was the better part of valor tonight."
Maya raised her head, looking directly into Victoria's eyes without a single trace of fear in her gaze.
"Jax doesn't miss deadlines," Maya said softly, a faint, dangerous smile touching her lips.
Suddenly, every floodlight inside the hangar exploded simultaneously in a massive flash of blue sparks, plunging the entire building into pitch blackness.
The thunderous roar of smoke grenades detonating echoed through the dark hangar, followed by the swift, rhythmic pops of suppressed tactical gunfire.
Contractors began shouting frantically in the dark as night-vision lasers crisscrossed through the thick white smoke.
Inside the utter darkness, a single voice whispered right behind Victoria Sterling's ear, cold, calm, and terrifyingly close:
May you like
"You're in my city now."
A single gunshot echoed through the blackness, cutting instantly to dead silence as the rain pounded against the hangar roof.
