Chapter 14 - The Final Line of Defense
The wooden door blew off its hinges, sending sharp splinters flying into the dark interior of the boathouse.
Marcus Cole stepped through the burning smoke, his submachine gun raised and his eyes glowing with cold triumph.
"End of the line, Vance!" Marcus shouted over the sound of the rain pouring through the shattered doorway.
Ethan stepped out from behind the boat's control console, standing directly between Marcus and the baby's storage bin.
His handgun was empty, left with no remaining ammunition after the intense firefight through the woods.
He held a heavy steel boat hook in his right hand, his feet planted wide on the rain-slicked wooden dock.
"You're out of options, Ethan," Marcus said, stepping closer with his firearm pointed directly at Ethan's chest.
"Give me the child, and I promise to make your death clean and painless."
"You're not touching my son," Ethan spat, his eyes burning with absolute, unwavering resolve.
Suddenly, a loud engine roared outside the boathouse, and a sleek black armored SUV crashed through the side wooden wall.
Planks of wood exploded everywhere as the heavy vehicle smashed directly into Marcus, slamming him into the steel support beams.
The submachine gun flew from Marcus's hands, clattering uselessly across the floorboards into the deep water below.
The SUV door swung open, and Arthur Pendelton stepped out holding a heavy tactical shotgun in his hands.
"Get in the vehicle, Ethan!" Arthur yelled over the roaring engine. "We have to move before their air support returns!"
Ethan didn't waste a single second; he scooped his baby from the padded storage bin and lunged into the back seat.
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Arthur slammed the SUV into reverse, spinning the heavy wheels and bursting back out into the rainy forest clearing.
Behind them, Marcus Cole dragged himself up from the ruined support beams, spitting blood onto the ground as he watched them escape.
