Chapter 4 - RUN, RUBY, RUN! — SHADOWS AT THE APARTMENT DOOR"Deploy flares! NOW!" Nathaniel bellowed, pulling Ruby down onto the floorboards of the helicopter and covering her with his own body.
A deafening detonation rocked the sky as defensive flares intercepted an incoming rocket just fifty yards off the tail rotor. The helicopter violently spun, the pilot wrestling the controls as smoke poured from the secondary engine.
"We can't reach the penthouse, sir!" the pilot screamed back. "Emergency landing on the Westside Docks!"
The chopper hit the concrete pad of the deserted shipping docks with a bone-jarring crunch, skidding fifty feet before coming to a halt against a row of rusted shipping containers.
"Out! Out!" Nathaniel yelled, kicking the side door open. He grabbed Ruby and sprinted into the maze of metal containers just as a sleek black sedan screeched into the dockyard, its doors flying open.
Four men in black suits stepped out, led by a man in a tailored gray suit holding a heavy silenced pistol.
Ruby gasped. She recognized him instantly.
It was Victor Sterling—the chairman of Sterling Global, the billionaire who was supposed to sign the four-billion-dollar merger with Nathaniel that very afternoon.
"Nathaniel!" Victor’s voice echoed through the metal shipping containers. "Give up the girl and the ledger! You’ve been chasing a ghost for twelve years! Let her go!"
Hidden behind a blue container, Nathaniel drew a custom firearm from his shoulder holster. He looked down at Ruby, his eyes filled with fierce protection.
"Listen to me, Ruby," Nathaniel whispered rapidly, pressing a small silver device into her palm. "This is a GPS beacon. Take it, run down Alleyway 4 toward the main street, and do not stop for anyone. There is a police station three blocks east."
"What about my mom?!" Ruby cried, tears streaming down her face.
"I am going to get your mother," Nathaniel promised, his voice unwavering. "I lost her once. I will not lose her—or you—again."
"Me?" Ruby stammered.
Nathaniel reached out, his thumb gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "You have your mother's courage, Ruby. And you have my eyes. Now RUN!"
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Nathaniel stepped out from behind the container, firing three rapid shots that forced Sterling’s men to dive for cover.
Ruby turned and ran with all her might, her small sneakers pounding against the wet asphalt as gunfire erupted behind her.
