The echo of boots thundering through the corridor grew louder, signaling reinforcements closing in. Zara Kincaid stood over Selena Rourke, the barrel of her pistol leveled at the smirking woman's temple.
"Call them off, or this ends here," Zara demanded, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Rourke's smirk widened. "Go ahead, Zara. Pull the trigger. But you won't make it out of here alive, and you know it."
Callum groaned as he rose to his feet, clutching his side. "Zara, we need to move. Reinforcements are seconds away."
Zara's mind raced. Every instinct screamed at her to finish Rourke here and now, but that wasn't justice—it was revenge. And revenge wasn't why she had come. She needed Rourke alive to expose the truth behind her empire.
"Fine," Zara said, lowering the pistol slightly. "You're coming with us."
Rourke laughed bitterly. "You think I'd let you drag me out of here?"
Zara leaned in, her tone steely. "You don't have a choice."
With a quick motion, she yanked a set of zip ties from her belt and bound Rourke's wrists. Callum grabbed the rifle Rourke had dropped, giving Zara a nod.
"We need an exit plan," Callum said, his eyes scanning the control room.
"I'm already working on it," Vera chimed in through their comms. "I've unlocked a maintenance shaft two rooms over. It's your fastest way out, but you'll need to move now."
"Got it. Let's go," Zara said.
Dragging Rourke with them, Zara and Callum sprinted down the corridor. The red emergency lights painted the walls in a strobe of menace, and the sound of shouts and gunfire echoed in the distance.
"Zara, you're wasting your time," Rourke sneered as they ran. "Even if you make it out, you'll never stop what I've built. It's bigger than me. Bigger than you."
Zara tightened her grip on Rourke's arm, pulling her along. "We'll see about that."
They reached the maintenance shaft Vera had unlocked—a narrow tunnel leading downward. Callum climbed in first, his rifle slung over his shoulder. Zara shoved Rourke ahead of her, keeping her weapon trained on the woman.
Rourke hesitated but eventually complied, muttering curses under her breath. The trio descended into the darkness, the sound of their pursuers growing fainter with each step.
When they emerged into an underground access point, Vera's voice crackled in their ears again. "There's a vehicle waiting for you at the south entrance. Get there, and I'll guide you to a safe zone."
As they navigated the labyrinth of tunnels, Rourke continued to taunt them. "You're not heroes, Zara. You're just pawns in a game you don't understand."
Zara stopped abruptly, turning to face her. "You're right—we're not heroes. But we're survivors. And survivors always find a way."
With renewed determination, Zara led the group toward the south entrance, knowing this escape was just the beginning of the battle to dismantle Rourke's empire.