Page 103 of The Last Morgan

Just then, the door burst open. The manager reappeared, his face ashen, his suit jacket askew.

"It’s gone," he panted. "The deposit box. It’s... it’s gone."

Lucy stood so fast her chair tipped. "What?"

"They came up behind me, took the box, and exited through the rear service door. Security didn’t even clock them. They moved fast. Too fast. I followed them to the exit and saw that they drove off in a blue Volkswagen Beetle. Very distinct."

Corey swore under his breath, already pulling his phone.

"You’re supposed to be one of the most secure banks in the country," Lucy snapped. "How does someone just waltz in and take my deposit box?"

The manager stammered, "It... it must have been an inside job. There’s no other explanation."

The team wasted no time in racing to the exit, Barnaby already pulling his drone from its case. "I’ve got a chance to spot them if I launch now” Moments later, the drone soared, slicing through the sky like a hawk.

"Come on, baby," Barnaby whispered to the remote. "Show me the Beetle."

Through the drone's camera feed, the streets below flickered past—a blur of pedestrians, taxis, and delivery vans. And then...

"There! Blue Beetle! License plate BZ91 KVC. Headed westbound on Grafton Street!"

Lucy shouted. "Everyone, in the cars!"

"Track them, Barns," Corey barked from the driver’s seat.

"Already on it! They’re making a left at Cross Avenue. We can intercept if we cut through Bexley Road."

Corey took the wheel with a growl. Tires screeched as they peeled off into the streets.

The chase was on.

Chapter 25

Traffic snarled as horns blared, and pedestrians scattered. Lucy clutched the door handle; her eyes fixed on Barnaby’s screen. The drone zipped overhead, keeping pace with the rogue vehicle.

"They’re trying to lose us," Barnaby muttered. "Smart moves. This guy knows the city."

"Too bad we know it better," Corey said, cutting a tight corner.

Byron sat behind Lucy and asked. "What is so damn important inside that box?"

"That question is something I was going to have answered today, I'm so pissed off right now." Lucy said under her breath.

Ahead, the Beetle swerved suddenly into a narrow alley.

He spun the SUV left, then hard right, slamming through a wooden pallet stand and onto a back lane. They burst into the alley, only to find the Beetle abandoned, door wide open.

Lucy was the first out. Byron flanked her, gun drawn. Corey and Damien fanned out.

"Barnaby, scan the area" Corey ordered.

Barnaby tapped into his mobile interface, eyes darting across the code. "There’s residual heat signatures heading north. Two people on foot."

"We split up," Lucy said. "Byron, with me. Corey, Damian—circle around the back the rest of you walk up the middle. Let’s flush them out."

The air felt heavier as the team spread out across the shadowed streets. They were close—so close—Barnaby could feel it in hisbones as he monitored the drone footage from the back seat of the SUV. "We’ve got movement," Barnaby muttered, fingers flying across his keyboard.

Lucy, Byron, Corey, and Damien were already on foot, paired off into calculated groups. The Doves had split into pairs too, creating a web around the two heat signatures Barnaby had locked onto.