Chapter 6 - The Golden Cage
Ethan instantly tackled me to the floor just as a high-caliber bullet shattered the wall behind where he had been standing.
We crawled frantically through the debris of my ruined apartment, staying completely below the window line to avoid the sniper's view.
Ethan pulled a compact tactical pistol from his ankle holster, a weapon I had absolutely no idea he was carrying.
He fired blindly out the window to provide covering fire, grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the back fire escape.
We scrambled down the rusted metal stairs into the dark alley, running for our lives through the pouring rain.
We managed to reach his armored SUV, diving into the vehicle just as a second bullet sparked against the bulletproof glass.
Ethan slammed his foot on the accelerator, tearing out of the alley and speeding straight toward the sprawling Ashford estate in the suburbs.
He drove with reckless, terrifying precision, explaining that his father's security system had a three-minute blind spot during the midnight guard shift change.
We abandoned the vehicle near the edge of the property and crept silently through the massive, manicured hedges.
Ethan led me to a hidden cellar door, typing a long numerical code into the keypad to bypass the heavy biometric locks.
We slipped into the dark, silent basement of the mansion, making our way carefully up to the second floor where Walter kept his private study.
The massive oak doors were completely unlocked, which instantly made the hair on the back of my neck stand up in warning.
Ethan stepped into the luxurious office and quickly opened the hidden wall safe behind a large oil painting.
He grabbed the heavy, leather-bound financial ledger, slipping it securely into his waterproof jacket.
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors violently slammed shut behind us, and the bright crystal chandeliers flared to life.
Vivian Ashford was sitting in the high-backed leather chair behind the desk, holding a silver, pearl-handled revolver directly at my face.
She smiled a sick, twisted smile, looking completely unbothered by the fact that her own son was standing in the line of fire.
She calmly revealed that she had hired the sniper at my apartment because she knew we would desperately need the ledger to save the boy.
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She cocked the hammer of the revolver, informing us that we were never going to leave this room alive.
Before Vivian could pull the trigger, the massive glass window behind her shattered inward as a dark figure swung violently into the room.
