Chapter 10 - The Ambush at the Loading Dock
The blinding high beams of the black SUV illuminated the loading dock like a harsh theatrical stage. Tires squealed violently against the pavement as the vehicle slammed to a halt, blocking the exit route of the ambulance and trapping David, Leo, Lily, and the medical staff against the brick wall of the hospital wing.
Detective Ramos immediately drew her sidearm, stepping in front of David and the children. "Stay back! Drop your weapons and identify yourselves!" she shouted over the screaming engine.
The driver's side door of the SUV pushed open, and a heavy-set man in a dark security uniform stepped out, holding a heavy-duty crowbar in his right hand. Behind him, two other men emerged from the back seats, wearing plain clothes and dark ski masks that obscured their faces entirely.
"Hand over the ledger, detective," the lead man barked, his voice grating and gravelly. "Director Vance wants his property back, and he doesn't care who gets stepped on to get it."
David pulled Leo and Lily closer behind his back, his eyes darting frantically around the loading dock for an alternate escape route. The heavy iron security gates to the basement were locked from the inside, and the main hospital doors were twenty yards away across open concrete.
"You're too late!" Detective Ramos yelled back, keeping her aim steady on the lead man's chest. "Backup was dispatched five minutes ago. You're walking into a federal trap!"
The man laughed harshly, stepping forward into the pool of amber light. "The city police aren't coming tonight, Detective. Director Vance owns half the precinct dispatch board. No one is answering your calls."
Panic flared sharp and cold in Leo’s chest. He looked down at Lily, who was shivering violently on the stretcher inside the ambulance, her IV line trembling with the vibrations of the roaring SUV engine.
"Dad, what do we do?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling as he clutched his father's coat.
David didn't answer right away. His eyes locked onto the front passenger window of the SUV, where a familiar, silver-haired figure sat silhouetted against the dashboard light. Director Vance was watching the scene unfold with cold, detached amusement, tapping a silver fountain pen against the glass.
"David," Director Vance’s voice echoed clearly through a portable loud-hailer from inside the vehicle. "You were always a stubborn engineer. But you should have known that fighting the institution is like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a paper cup. Hand over the journal, and I'll let your children leave the city with a clean slate."
"Don't do it, Dad!" Leo shouted fiercely, stepping out from behind his father's legs. "He's lying! He wants to burn the books!"
Director Vance’s expression hardened instantly. He nodded once to the masked men standing near the SUV.
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The lead man raised the heavy crowbar and charged directly across the pavement toward the open back of the ambulance where Lily lay helpless.
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