Chapter 10 - The Ambush in the Dark
The cold stone floor of the cellar rushed up to meet Ethan as he was violently thrown backward by an unseen assailant. He struck his shoulder hard against a wooden wine rack, sending a cascade of empty bottles clattering onto the concrete floor.
"Ethan!" Clara shrieked from the open alleyway, stepping back toward the doorway, but Arthur caught her arm and pulled her firmly outside into the shadows.
"Stay out of the line of fire, young lady!" Arthur commanded, keeping the door partially shielded.
Ethan shook his head to clear the sudden dizziness, wiping a smudge of dust from his white dress shirt and brown vest. Through the dim, amber light spilling from the hallway, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. It wasn't one of the federal agents. It was Marcus Vance's chief enforcer, a hulking man named Miller who usually handled the company's "special acquisitions."
"Boss says hello," Miller grunted, his voice deep and menacing as he cracked his knuckles. "He wants the key, Ethan. And he wants the old man."
Ethan scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth against the sharp pain radiating from his bruised shoulder. "You're working for a criminal, Miller. The Feds are already in the building. You think you're going to walk away from this?"
Miller chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "The Feds take orders from the men who fund their retirement plans, Mr. Vance. You should know that by now."
Before Miller could lunge, a heavy shadow detached itself from the doorway behind him. Arthur stepped silently back into the cellar, holding a heavy, two-liter magnum bottle of aged champagne like a club.
"Leave my son alone," Arthur said coldly.
Miller spun around, sneering at the older man. "Old man, you should have stayed in the grave where you—"
Before Miller could finish the sentence, Arthur swung the heavy glass bottle with surprising speed and precision, cracking it squarely across Miller's jaw. The enforcer grunted, his eyes rolling back into his head, before collapsing heavily onto the floor among the shattered wine bottles.
Ethan stared at his father in absolute shock, his breath catching in his throat.
Arthur lowered the shattered bottle neck, breathing heavily but standing tall in his tailored blue suit. He tossed the broken glass aside and looked at Ethan with intense, urgent eyes.
May you like
"We don't have much time," Arthur said, grabbing Ethan's good arm and pulling him toward the open alleyway. "Marcus knows we're heading for the Federal Trust. And he's waiting for us there."
---
