Chapter 9 - The Ambush at Blackwood Ridge
Evelyn reached for the cassette with trembling hands.
The banker provided a vintage player, and when Evelyn pressed play, the crackling voice of a man filled the quiet vault—warm, cultured, and full of sorrow.
“Evelyn, my sweetest girl... If you are listening to this, then Clara succeeded in keeping you safe, and I am long gone. I built an empire with Thomas Voss, but power attracts vipers. Damian Voss and Marcus Castillo have betrayed us. They plan to sink my ship tonight. But I have left you the keys to their destruction. The drives contain the encrypted ledgers of every illicit trade route, offshore bank, and government contract they own. You hold their lifeblood in your hands. Trust only Thomas. And if Thomas is gone... trust his son. May God protect you, my child.”
The recording clicked off into silence.
Evelyn buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as twenty-five years of grief and relief finally broke through her defenses.
I walked over, wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her against my chest. She held onto my lapels, weeping for the father she never got to know, while I held her with an intensity that went far beyond duty.
“He trusted my father,” Evelyn whispered against my chest. “And he trusted you.”
“I won't let him down,” I replied, kissing the top of her head. “We take these drives back to the city. We broadcast the contents to every syndicate boss and federal watchdog simultaneously. Damian’s empire ends tomorrow.”
We packed the drives and documents and headed back toward our transport.
However, as our armored convoy ascended the winding mountain roads of Blackwood Ridge on the way back to the Zurich airfield, the lead vehicle suddenly erupted in a massive fireball.
An RPG rocket had struck the front bumper.
“Ambush!” Dante yelled from the front seat as our SUV swerved violently to avoid the burning wreckage.
Black tactical vehicles boxed us in against the snowy mountain cliffside. Heavily armed mercenaries poured out, opening fire with heavy-caliber rifles.
“They tracked our flight!” I shouted, drawing my weapon. “Evelyn, stay down!”
The windshield cracked into a spiderweb of white fractures under a barrage of bullets. I kicked the door open, firing back with lethal precision, dropping three shooters in quick succession.
Dante laid down suppressing fire, but the enemy was overwhelming us with sheer numbers.
As we sprinted toward a rocky outcrop for cover, a sniper round tore through the snowy air.
I saw the red laser target Evelyn’s chest.
Without thinking, I threw myself across her path.
May you like
The bullet struck my left shoulder with the force of a sledgehammer, spinning me around as white-hot agony tore through my torso.
“Adrien!” Evelyn screamed, catching me as we both tumbled down the snowy embankment into the pine forest below.
