Chapter 10: The Courage of a Boy
Shouts rang out through the hollow factory as Arthur’s security team quickly formed a protective perimeter around Arthur and Leo. The hired mercenaries, sent by operatives desperate to delay or destroy the legal proceedings, advanced rapidly, intending to kidnap the boy and create chaos before the court session.
“Get the boy to the SUV!” Marcus yelled, drawing his firearm and firing warning shots into the air. The loud cracks echoed like thunder off the concrete walls.
Panic surged through the factory floor. Amidst the chaos, one of the attackers bypassed the security line, lunging toward Arthur with an iron pipe. Arthur dodged, wrestling the man to the ground, but another assailant grabbed Leo by his coat collar, dragging him backward toward an open side door.
“Let him go!” Arthur roared, scrambling to his feet, but he was held back by another attacker.
Leo didn't scream or surrender to blind panic. Remembering the harsh survival skills of his former life on these very streets, Leo ducked sharply, slipped his arms out of his heavy winter coat, and left the stunned assailant holding an empty garment. Freeing himself, Leo grabbed a heavy loose brick from the floor and smashed it against a rusting emergency steam valve pipe nearby.
A deafening roar of pressurized white steam shot out of the pipe, filling the narrow corridor with a blinding screen. The attackers coughed and stumbled back in confusion. Taking advantage of the sudden diversion, Marcus and his security team overwhelmed the disoriented men, pinning them to the ground.
Within minutes, distant police sirens wailed through the city streets. Arthur rushed through the clearing steam, wrapping his arms around Leo, who was standing breathlessly beside the broken valve.
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“Are you hurt? Leo, are you alright?” Arthur asked frantically, checking the boy’s arms and face.
“I’m okay, Uncle Arthur,” Leo said, his heart pounding but his voice steady. He looked around at the fallen men and the police officers spilling into the building. “They tried to take away our family. I wasn’t going to let them.”
