Chapter 6 - Resurrection on Gravel
The battered black pickup truck slid to a halt near the edge of the burning patio, its tires churning up mud and gravel. The driver's door swung open, and a tall man stepped out into the amber glow of the flames. Even with the collar of his worn canvas jacket pulled high against the rain, I recognized the broad shoulders, the dark hair streaked with grey, and the unmistakable posture of my husband.
David was alive.
My breath caught in my throat. Every fiber of my being screamed to run to him, to demand an explanation for the staged death, for the terror, for the lies. But as David stepped into the light, I saw the dark bruising along his jawline and the heavy automatic pistol gripped firmly in his right hand. He wasn't running anymore. He was hunting.
"Stay here, Leo, no matter what happens," I whispered, pressing my son deeper into the shadows of the old well house.
"Mom, don't go out there!" Leo cried out softly, grabbing my hand with desperate strength. "They'll hurt you!"
"I have to, sweetie," I murmured, kissing his forehead before slipping through the rotting wooden door into the cold night air.
The heat from the burning kitchen washed over my face as I sprinted across the wet grass, keeping low behind the overgrown boxwood hedges. David was moving with calculated precision toward the back deck, where the syndicate operative still stood holding the crimson-sealed envelope. Neither of them had noticed me yet.
"Drop it, Miller," David's voice rang out, cold and flat, cutting through the crackle of the fire.
The man in tactical gear slowly turned around, the brown paper package gripped tightly in his gloved hand. He didn't drop it. Instead, he let out a harsh, mocking laugh that echoed across the yard.
"You're late, Harrison," Miller called back, his voice amplified by the rain. "The transfer protocol was initiated five minutes ago. The ledger is already syncing with the Zurich servers. Shooting me won't stop the download."
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David didn't hesitate. He raised his weapon, but before he could pull the trigger, a blinding beam of white light suddenly swept across the yard from the tree line, pinning both men in the center of the clearing.
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