Chapter 7: The Bargain with the Devil
The cabin shook violently from the downdraft of the helicopter. Blinding spotlights tore through the boarded-up windows, illuminating the dust in the air.
"They're going to breach the doors!" Arthur yelled over the deafening noise. "Sarah, give me the drive! I will negotiate with the Director!"
"No!" Sarah snatched the silver drive from the floor, shoving it into the pocket of her hospital gown. "If you're really his father, you'll help us get out of here without giving up our only leverage!"
"There is no 'out of here'!" Arthur roared, dropping the calm facade. "Aegis owns the local police, the judges, the politicians! They will burn this cabin to the ground with you inside to ensure that ledger turns to ash!"
The front door exploded inward with a deafening crash. Two men in full tactical gear burst into the hallway, rifles raised.
Arthur didn't hesitate. He raised his pistol and fired three times. The first tactical officer went down. The second returned fire, shattering the kitchen table next to Sarah.
"Down!" Sarah screamed, shoving Leo to the floor and covering the baby.
Arthur took cover behind the refrigerator, exchanging fire with the operatives in the hall. "Sarah! There is a root cellar trapdoor under the rug in the living room! It leads to the ravine! Go!"
"I'm not leaving you to die!" Sarah yelled back.
"I am a dead man anyway!" Arthur yelled, blood blooming on his shoulder where a bullet had grazed him. "Tell Marcus I'm sorry I failed him. Now run!"
Sarah grabbed the heavy lockbox containing the cash and passports, hauled Leo to his feet, and scooped up the baby. They crawled frantically into the adjacent living room, staying below the windows as bullets tore through the drywall.
She found the rug, kicked it aside, and yanked the iron ring of the trapdoor. It swung open, revealing a dark, muddy tunnel.
"Go, Leo, go!" she ordered.
Leo scrambled down into the darkness. Sarah followed, pulling the heavy trapdoor shut just as the living room filled with armed men.
The tunnel was barely wide enough to crawl through. It smelled of rotting earth and panic. They crawled in absolute darkness for what felt like hours, guided only by the sound of rushing water ahead.
"Mom," Leo whispered in the dark. "Are we going to die?"
"No," Sarah said fiercely, her hand clutching the hard drive in her pocket. "We are going to make them pay."
They emerged from the tunnel into a steep, muddy ravine, the freezing rain still pouring down. But as Sarah stood up, a blinding spotlight snapped on, illuminating them against the muddy bank.
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Standing at the top of the ravine, holding a sleek umbrella, was a woman in a pristine white trench coat.
"Hello, Sarah," the woman smiled. "I am the Director. And you have something that belongs to me."
