Chapter 9 - Shadow on the Run
The news sent a shockwave through the courtroom corridor. Police officers immediately swarmed the exit doors, locking down the building while sirens began to wail across the city.
"How could he escape?" Julian demanded, pulling Leo close to his side as they stood inside the judge's private chambers for safety.
"The transport van was rammed by an unmarked black SUV at an intersection two miles from here," Detective Vance explained, checking his firearm. "It was an organized ambush. Sterling had associates outside that we didn't know about. He’s armed, dangerous, and he knows his only chance of getting his hands on the offshore funds is through Leo's biometric signature."
Clara’s heart sank. "What do you mean, biometric signature?"
Julian looked down at the desk where his brother's files were spread out. "My brother set up a multi-factor security vault for Leo's trust fund. The physical documents we found were only half of it. To transfer the forty million dollars, the bank requires a retinal scan from Leo himself before his eighth birthday."
"Which is in three days," Clara realized, her voice trembling. "Sterling isn't running away to hide. He's coming to finish what he started."
"We're putting you all into federal witness protection immediately," Vance said firmly. "My officers will escort you to a secure safehouse outside the city limits. No phones, no tracking devices, no contact with anyone from your past lives."
Within thirty minutes, Julian, Clara, and Leo were loaded into the back of a blacked-out police van. They drove for two hours down winding back roads, heading deep into the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest.
They arrived at an isolated, two-story wooden cabin surrounded by high pine trees and protected by a tall chain-link fence. Four heavily armed state troopers were posted around the perimeter.
Inside, the cabin was rustic but secure. Thick wooden beams reinforced the walls, and heavy steel shutters covered the windows.
Leo sat on a plush sofa, exhausted, sipping a cup of warm milk Clara had prepared for him. For the first time in days, the terror in the boy's eyes seemed to fade slightly.
"Clara?" Leo asked softly, looking up at her. "Are you and Uncle Julian still going to get married?"
May you like
Clara froze, looking across the room at Julian, who was standing by the fireplace, staring into the flames. They had been hours away from exchanging vows when the world exploded around them.
Before Clara could answer, a loud, unnatural crack echoed through the forest outside, followed immediately by the sudden, dead silence of the perimeter guards' radios.
