Chapter 6 - The Downtown Office
While the military police secured the house and escorted Ryan and Evelyn into separate transport vehicles, Lisa, Marcus, and Captain Hayes sped through the quiet morning streets toward downtown San Bernardino.
The destination was Apex Cyber-Defense—Lisa’s corporate headquarters, occupying the top floor of a sleek glass-and-steel high-rise overlooking the valley.
As their vehicle pulled into the underground parking garage, Marcus pointed at a dark sedan idling near the secure elevator bank.
"That's Julian's car," Marcus said, killing the engine before the vehicle even came to a complete stop. "The door is unlocked, and the ignition is warm. He just got here."
Lisa’s heart raced. For years, she had believed her brother was dead. She had mourned him, lit candles on his birthday, and carried the quiet, hollow ache of a sibling lost to military service. To learn he was alive—and that he had been operating in the shadows to protect her from the very family she married into—sent a dizzying wave of emotion through her chest.
The three of them burst out of the elevator on the twelfth floor, weapons drawn and security credentials flashing.
The main corporate office was bathed in the cool blue glow of emergency backup servers. The glass partition doors leading to Lisa’s private corner office were closed, the frosted glass casting distorted shadows across the carpet.
Lisa stepped forward, pressing her palm against the biometric access scanner.
*Access Granted.*
May you like
The glass door slid open silently.
---
