Chapter 6 - Ambush at the RefugeAlex slammed the laptop shut and grabbed a flashlight. "Mrs. Thompson! Get the boys to the cellar! Now!"
Liam ran out into the hallway, pulling Ethan by the arm. "Dad! What's happening?"
Hearing Liam call him "Dad" for the first time sent a surge of adrenaline through Alex’s veins. "Go with Mrs. Thompson, Liam! Lock the door from the inside and don't open it for anyone except me!"
Headlights cut through the living room windows. Three black SUVs had surrounded the house. Men in tactical dark clothing stepped out—not police, but private corporate security operators hired by Arthur Vance’s legal shield network.
The front door was kicked open with a deafening crash.
Alex stood in the center of the dark living room, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker. "This is private property! Get the hell out!"
A man in a sleek navy suit walked through the shattered door frame. It was Marcus Cole, Peterson Tech’s chief of security and Arthur Vance’s personal fixer.
"Hand over the drive, Alex," Marcus said calmly, drawing a suppressed sidearm. "Arthur knows Valerie kept a backup. We've been looking for that flash drive for twelve years. Give it to us, sign the paper surrendering your voting shares to Bridget, and you can live out your days peacefully with your street kids."
"And if I refuse?" Alex demanded, stepping between Marcus and the cellar door.
"Then you suffer a tragic accident in the mountains, and your sons spend the rest of their lives in state custody," Marcus replied coldly.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the back window. Glass shattered, and a shadow leaped into the kitchen—it was Finn!
"Dad!" Finn screamed, throwing a heavy brass lamp at Marcus’s gunman.
In the confusion, Alex charged Marcus, tackling him to the floor. The gun went off, the silenced report shattering a wall mirror. Alex wrestled the weapon away, using all his force to knock Marcus unconscious against the hardwood floor.
May you like
"Finn! What are you doing here?" Alex panted, pulling his youngest son up.
"I snuck into Mom's car when she left for Arthur's office," Finn said, crying and shivering. "I heard them talking about sending men up here to 'clean up the problem.' I couldn't let them hurt my brothers!"
