Chapter 3 - The False Authority
The bright red laser dot rested directly over Ethan's racing heart.
He immediately threw himself sideways, pulling Sophie to the cold concrete floor.
A suppressed bullet shattered the driver's side window of the armored SUV.
Ethan scrambled behind a stack of heavy moving boxes in the corner of the garage.
The hitman walked slowly into the garage, his boots echoing loudly on the concrete.
Ethan knew his bronze paperweight was absolutely useless against a submachine gun.
He noticed the emergency garage door release cord dangling just a few feet away.
He grabbed a wrench from a workbench and threw it across the room.
The hitman spun around and fired a burst of bullets toward the noise.
Ethan lunged forward and yanked the emergency release cord with all his strength.
The heavy garage door slammed downward, crushing the hitman's weapon to the floor.
Ethan did not wait to see if the man was completely trapped.
He grabbed Sophie and ran out the side door into the freezing night air.
The sprawling Connecticut estate was completely illuminated by the blazing mansion fire.
Ethan sprinted down the long asphalt driveway toward the main road.
His lungs burned with every breath, but he refused to stop running.
Sophie tripped over a tree root and scraped her knee, but she bravely kept quiet.
They finally reached the edge of the dark, winding rural highway.
Ethan saw the flashing red and blue lights of a police cruiser approaching rapidly.
He stepped into the middle of the road and frantically waved his arms.
The cruiser screeched to a halt, the bright headlights blinding him temporarily.
Ethan ran to the driver's side window and begged the officer for help.
He explained that his house was on fire and armed men were trying to kill them.
The officer slowly rolled down the window without saying a single word.
Ethan blinked away the glare of the lights and stared into the driver's face.
The man wearing the police uniform was not a real officer.
It was Richard, smiling with a sickening look of complete triumph.
Richard raised his silver pistol and pointed it directly at Ethan's face.
May you like
He cocked the hammer back and told Ethan to get inside the cruiser.
Ethan suddenly kicked the cruiser's heavy door, slamming it into Richard's arm.
