Chapter 9 - Death from AboveElena pried the heavy steel floor grate open, revealing a dark, narrow shaft.
"I will go first," she whispered, slinging the shotgun over her back.
She dropped silently into the darkness, her boots finding the rusted ladder rungs.
Cassian followed right behind her, his senses heightened by the proximity of this lethal, mysterious woman.
The shaft was cramped, smelling of damp earth and old copper pipes.
They crawled on their stomachs through the ventilation duct, moving directly over the hallway where the mercenaries were gathering.
Through the metal slats of the vent, they could hear heavy boots and Russian voices.
"Set the C4 on the hinges," a gruff voice commanded from below.
Elena stopped, peering down through the grate.
Directly beneath her were six heavily armed men, planting plastic explosives on the safe room door.
She looked back at Cassian, holding up three fingers, then two, then one.
Cassian braced his weapon.
Elena kicked the ventilation grate with all her strength.
The metal cover crashed down onto the mercenaries below, causing instant confusion.
Before they could look up, Elena dropped from the ceiling, landing right in the middle of their squad.
She fired the shotgun point-blank into the chest of the explosive specialist.
May you like
The force of the slug lifted him off his feet and threw him against the wall.
Chaos erupted.
