Chapter 5 - The Underground Fortress
Daniel’s heart completely stopped beating inside his chest.
He grabbed Ethan and Maya by their arms and practically threw them into his armored SUV.
He slammed his foot on the gas pedal, weaving recklessly through the busy city traffic.
He dialed Eleanor’s cell phone over and over again, but it went straight to a dead voicemail.
He had promised to protect his family from his violent world, and he had completely failed.
Daniel drove them to a highly classified, subterranean safehouse located beneath an abandoned factory.
He locked the heavy steel blast doors and activated the security grid.
Ethan was hyperventilating, staring at his father as if he were looking at a total stranger.
"You just shot those men," Ethan whispered, his hands trembling violently.
"I did what I had to do to keep you alive," Daniel answered coldly.
He turned his intense, terrifying gaze toward the little girl huddled on the couch.
"Who are you, Maya, and why are my men trying to kidnap you?" Daniel demanded.
Maya flinched, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks.
"I didn't meet Ethan by accident," she confessed, her voice shaking with fear.
"I followed him to school because my mother told me he was your son."
Daniel frowned, completely confused by her statement.
"Your mother is dead, Maya," Daniel said softly.
Maya aggressively shook her head, clutching her worn backpack.
"She faked the car crash because Uncle Silas was going to murder her," Maya cried.
Silas was Daniel’s second-in-command and his most trusted friend for twenty years.
"My mom stole something from Silas to prove he is a traitor," Maya continued.
May you like
She unzipped her old backpack and pulled out a heavy, leather-bound ledger.
"She told me to give this to you before Silas destroyed our entire family."
