Chapter 12 - The Ambush at the Lake
"Federal agents! Drop your weapons!" a booming voice echoed through the dark pines.
Chaos erupted in an instant. The two masked men let go of David, scrambling toward the edge of the dock where a sleek speedboat idled in the dark water. Sarah spun around, her face twisting in pure panic as she dropped the tablet, pulling a small silver pistol from her coat pocket.
David scrambled backward through the mud, coughing and gasping for air as heavy footsteps thundered behind him. Officer Miller, flanked by three armed tactical officers, burst from the tree line, their weapons drawn and laser sights painting red dots across the clearing.
"Don't move! Drop the gun!" Officer Miller shouted, advancing steadily.
Sarah hesitated for a split second, her eyes darting between the officers and the waiting speedboat. Instead of surrendering, she raised the pistol toward the boat, firing a single warning shot before diving off the wooden dock into the dark, freezing waters of Blackwood Lake.
"Cover the shoreline! Don't let her reach the boat!" Officer Miller commanded, firing a non-lethal beanbag round into the water near where Sarah had surfaced.
David pushed himself up from the ground, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs and the mud coating his crisp white dress shirt. He grabbed the abandoned tablet from the ground, checking the screen. The signature upload had frozen at ninety-eight percent, interrupted just in time. But his heart dropped into his stomach as he looked at the live video feed from the motel room—the medical pump was still blinking red, and Lily was coughing violently in her sleep.
"My daughter!" David screamed, grabbing Officer Miller by the tactical vest. "They left a device in the motel room! We have to get back right now!"
"Marcus!" Officer Miller yelled into his shoulder radio, keying his mic. "Marcus, do you copy? Report status at the motel on Route 9!"
Static hissed through the radio, followed by the sound of muffled shouting and a loud crash. Then, a shaky voice broke through the speaker.
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"This is Marcus... I'm at the motel. Someone broke in through the back window. They... they took the girl."
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