Chapter 4 - The Unlikely Ally
"You honestly thought you could outrun Victor Vance's private army, Daniel?" Marcus sneered, stepping casually through the burning doorway.
Daniel pushed his mother firmly behind him, shielding her fragile body with his own as the flames licked the peeling wallpaper.
"You were working for my psychotic father this entire time?" Daniel asked, trying desperately to stall the heavily armed men.
"I was paid very well to keep a close eye on you at that pathetic hospital job," Marcus admitted with a cold, hollow laugh.
Marcus raised the heavy rifle, aiming it squarely at the dead center of Daniel’s pounding chest.
"Victor explicitly ordered me to bring the boy alive, but he never said anything about keeping the traitorous mother breathing," Marcus declared ruthlessly.
Suddenly, a deafening gunshot echoed from the dark apartment hallway, and the mercenary standing directly next to Marcus instantly dropped dead.
A stunningly agile woman dressed in sleek black tactical gear swung gracefully through the shattered window behind them.
She moved with terrifying, lethal precision, disarming the second mercenary and breaking his arm in one fluid, sickening motion.
Marcus panicked completely, dropping his expensive rifle and cowardly sprinting out of the burning apartment to save his own miserable life.
The mysterious woman stood tall amidst the roaring flames, her sharp green eyes locking entirely onto Daniel and Sarah.
"Are you Daniel Brooks?" she asked, her voice an absolute icy calm contrasting the chaotic inferno around them.
"Yes, but who the hell are you?" Daniel coughed, his lungs burning violently from the toxic black smoke.
"My name is Chloe, I am Arthur Sterling’s personal head of security, and we need to leave right now," she commanded authoritatively.
She quickly led them down a hidden fire escape, expertly navigating the treacherous, rusted metal stairs with ease.
They reached a sleek, armored black SUV waiting in the dark alleyway, completely hidden from the ongoing police chaos.
Daniel helped his exhausted mother into the back seat, deeply grateful for this unexpected, miraculous rescue.
Chloe slammed the driver's side door shut and immediately locked all the reinforced doors with a heavy, electronic click.
Instead of starting the vehicle's engine, Chloe slowly turned around in her leather seat and drew a silver pistol.
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She pointed the loaded weapon directly at Daniel’s head, her green eyes narrowing with profound, dangerous suspicion.
"Now, you are going to tell me exactly how you managed to poison my boss, or I will end you right here," Chloe promised darkly.
