Chapter 7 The Biggest Bluff

Sparks exploded overhead as the titanium ceiling buckled, showered us in white-hot debris. Ethan slammed his weight down over me, flipping us across the central bed in a single harsh motion. His bare body locked over mine as a human shield. The high-pitched scream of a thermal drill ripped through the chamber. Burning insulation rained across his shoulders, searing his skin, but his grip never loosened.

His heavy hand remained locked around my waist like an iron band. He pinned my hips beneath his, crushing me into the mattress to stop me from scrambling toward the falling wreckage.

"Don't move," he growled into my neck, his body tensing as the ceiling fully breached.

A thick tactical rope dropped through the smoking hole, swaying above us. Ethan reacted instantly. Without releasing my waist, his free hand reached for the bedpost, snapping a concealed blade from the polished frame. He surged upward, sliced the rope with one brutal stroke, and severed the line before the breaches could drop down.

The cut line snapped back toward the ceiling. Before the entry team could recover, Ethan dragged me off the bed, slammed his boot into a hidden trigger, and hauled me directly into the vault's subterranean escape chute before anyone could fire.

We plummeted through total darkness down the steel slide, gravity ripping the air straight from my lungs until we slammed onto the cold leather seat of an armored underground transport. The sudden impact rattled my teeth, but before I could catch my breath, Ethan’s heavy weight pinned me flat against the leather interior. His hands were aggressive, rough, and fiercely possessive as they moved over my neck, shoulders, and waist, searching every inch of my bare skin for burns or stray debris.

"Get off me!" I gasped, shoving against his broad chest, but he refused to budge.

"Check your arms," he snapped, his voice a dark rasp in the dim cabin light. "Did the sparks hit you?"

"I'm fine!" I shouted, my fingers digging into his forearms. I needed control back, and I needed it now. I glared up into his harsh features. "Hand me the transport’s tactical terminal right now. I can still override the vault’s explosives before you tear the whole building apart!"

Ethan didn't reach for the terminal. Instead, his fingers slid into my hair, gripping the strands firmly but gently near my scalp. He pulled my head back just enough to tilt my chin toward the roof, forcing a sharp gasp from my throat as our eyes locked.

"Look at me, Ava," he demanded, his thumb tracing the sharp line of my jaw. "There are no explosives in the floor. That was a bluff."

I froze beneath him, my breath catching in my chest. "What?"

"The signal wasn't a detonation command," he revealed, his dark gaze holding mine with absolute, quiet authority. "It was a live signal-tracer. The moment Leo overrode the system to project his face on that wall, the program locked onto his frequency. It mapped his exact broadcast origin in real time."

My heart hammered against my ribs as his words sank in. Every move he had made, every bit of terrifying control, had been calculated to trap the real enemy. He hadn't brought us here to destroy the vault or kill Leo blindly. He had lured Leo into exposing his hidden position.

"You used the wipe," I whispered, the realization twisting in my stomach.

"I used everything," Ethan growled, his grip in my hair tightening just enough to command my absolute focus. "And now I know exactly where he's hiding."

The transport’s powerful engine roared to life, vibration shaking through the leather seats as the vehicle hit the subterranean tunnel at top speed. High-tech displays flickered on the dashboard, tracking our path through the pitch-black underground passage. But before Ethan could clear the straightaway, the navigation grid suddenly flashed a bright, warning red. The emergency system blared a harsh alarm as an armored interceptor vehicle dropped straight into the exit tunnel right in front of us.

Blinding headlights cut through the heavy darkness, washing over the windshield as the lead interceptor rammed our front bumper with a brutal smash. Metal crunched violently, sending a jarring shockwave through the cabin. The impact threw me forward, but Ethan’s heavy arm slammed across my chest, pinning me securely against the leather seat to absorb the blow.

Even as the vehicle skidded against the tunnel wall, Ethan didn't lose control. His hand reached down between my thighs, his grip tight, possessive, and unyielding as his voice dropped dangerously low against the awful sound of tearing steel.

"Hold onto me, Ava," he demanded, his eyes fixed on the blocking vehicle.

My breath hitched in my throat as the driver's side window of the opposing armored vehicle slowly rolled down, revealing my father sitting in the passenger seat.