Free The Sacred Vault by Andy McDermott

Boyce said, voice quavering. He raised his head as the faceless trio approached. ‘I’m the mayor of San Francisco. Please, take what you came for and leave. Nobody else has to get hurt.’ Nina scowled at him, but knew there was nothing else they could do.
    The Nemesis kept reversing. Its rear bullbar clipped another display case, which toppled over and smashed. The golden trident clanged across the floor as the big 4x4 stopped behind the three men.
    They regarded the crown impassively . . . then at a gesture from the tallest of the trio, apparently the leader, moved to the next case.
    The one containing the Talonor Codex. Through her fear, Nina felt a moment of shock. That was their objective?
    Rowan’s reaction was a more exaggerated version of her own. ‘No, you can’t take it!’ he cried, springing up—
    The leader shot him.
    A bullet hit Rowan’s upper chest, slamming him back down with a spurt of blood. His head cracked against the floor.
    ‘Rowan!’ Nina screamed. Eddie forced her down as she tried to crawl to him. Her friend was still alive, feebly writhing, but blood was running down his shirt.
    The leader fired a single shot at the case. The toughened glass splintered, crooked cracks radiating out from the bullet hole, but didn’t entirely break - until a blow from the butt of his MP5K finished the job. He lifted out the Codex, cradling the heavy book in his arms as another man went to the Nemesis and raised its hatchback. There was a large metal box inside, lined with foam rubber. He lowered the ancient artefact into it, then closed the case and slammed the hatchback shut. The off-roader’s engine revved.
    The bikers closest to the broken windows rode out into the fog. The Nemesis bulled its way through the scattered debris and terrified guests after them.
    The trio who had taken the Codex mounted up. Two of them set off without a pause; the leader glanced back at Nina’s group before moving—
    Eddie dived, landing by the golden trident. He snatched it up and leapt to his feet, flipping it round so the three spearheads were pointing backwards.
    Nina rushed to Rowan. ‘Somebody help me!’ she cried, pressing her palm against the wound to try to staunch the bleeding. He groaned.
    The Nemesis and the first two bikers reached the windows, crunching over the glass. The leader followed—
    Eddie hurled the trident. It flew across the hall like a gleaming javelin, spearing down at its target . . .
    Not the rider, but his bike.
    The shaft shot between the rear wheel’s spokes to be slammed against the forks, instantly locking the wheel. The rider was thrown off as the bike crashed to the floor.
    Eddie ran at him. Catch the leader, and this would be over—
    The raider rolled, cat-like, back on his feet in a moment - and drew his gun.
    Eddie hurled himself behind one of the surviving display cases as bullets sprayed across the room. They smacked into the thick glass, crazing and cracking it - then the onslaught stopped. The gunman dropped his weapon. Out of ammo.
    Engine snarl. The Nemesis’s driver had heard the gunfire and quickly reversed back into the hall. The rider ran to the vehicle and jumped in.
    A siren grew in volume outside. Somebody on the street had called 911, the police responding rapidly to an incident at the mayor’s location—
    More gunshots as the bikers opened fire on the approaching cops. Staccato clangs of lead striking steel and cracks of glass, then the police car veered across the plaza, coming to an abrupt stop against a concrete planter. The siren fell silent, strobes flicking eerily through the fog.
    The Nemesis surged away with a V8 bellow.
    Eddie ran to the abandoned bike and yanked the bent trident out from the wheel. He pulled the vehicle upright. It had stalled; he jumped on and slammed his heel down on the long kick-start lever. The engine rasped to life. He twisted the throttle, pulling the front wheel round.
    ‘Eddie!’ Nina yelled across the hall. ‘What’re you