Chapter 8 - The Forest Trap
The terrifying, deep baying of the heavily trained tracking dogs echoed violently through the dark, freezing forest.
The massive spotlight from the helicopter above continuously pinned us down, making any stealthy escape completely, utterly impossible.
"They have our exact location; we have to stand and fight right here," Ethan declared, his voice hard and entirely devoid of fear.
He quickly directed us toward a small, natural rocky outcropping that offered a highly defensible, elevated position.
I huddled closely with Noah behind a massive, moss-covered boulder, gripping my small pistol with terribly shaking, freezing hands.
Ethan positioned himself perfectly at the front of the rocks, his heavy assault rifle aimed fiercely into the dark, encroaching treeline.
The first wave of Moretti mercenaries burst aggressively from the bushes, firing wildly toward our position.
Ethan returned fire with terrifying, lethal accuracy, dropping three heavily armed men in a matter of desperate, chaotic seconds.
But there were simply far too many of them, and they were rapidly closing in from all possible sides.
"Sarah, if I fall, you take the boy and run completely blindly into the dark," Ethan ordered over his shoulder, never breaking his intense focus.
I absolutely refused to leave him behind to die alone in this freezing, miserable forest.
"I am not leaving you, Ethan!" I yelled fiercely, firing my small pistol aggressively toward a mercenary flanking our right side.
Suddenly, the deafening roar of heavy, approaching engines violently overpowered the sounds of the intense firefight.
A fleet of massive, heavily armored, completely unmarked black SUVs crashed aggressively through the thick forest underbrush.
They weren't Moretti mercenaries; they were a massive, highly elite tactical force, their weapons blazing as they fiercely engaged our attackers.
The Moretti forces, completely caught off guard by the sudden, overwhelming assault, were rapidly, brutally decimated.
The helicopter above banked aggressively, attempting to escape the heavy anti-aircraft fire pouring fiercely from the mysterious new vehicles.
Within exactly three terrifying minutes, the entire forest was completely, eerily silent, save for the groans of the fallen.
A tall, imposing man in full, heavy tactical gear stepped out of the lead SUV, his weapon lowered in a non-threatening gesture.
Ethan kept his heavy rifle aimed squarely at the stranger's chest, his eyes narrowed with profound, intense suspicion.
"Who the hell are you, and why did you just save my life?" Ethan demanded aggressively.
The man slowly removed his heavy tactical helmet, revealing a scarred, highly familiar face that I recognized instantly.
It was Marcus, the incredibly loyal head of Ethan's personal security detail, whom I had mistakenly assumed was killed in the initial mansion breach.
"I didn't die in the foyer, Boss; I specifically went dark to rally the absolute remaining loyalists of our syndicate," Marcus explained proudly.
A massive, overwhelming wave of profound relief finally washed over me, realizing we actually had heavily armed, loyal backup.
"We have the perimeter completely secured, Ethan, but Margaret is currently fleeing the city in a heavily armored convoy," Marcus reported grimly.
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Ethan's face hardened into a mask of pure, unadulterated, terrifying vengeance.
"Load up the men, Marcus; we are going to hunt my sister down and end this completely tonight."
