Chapter 5 - The Escape from the Shadow
Glass rained down onto the carpet. Sophie screamed, waking up in terror.
"Get down!" I yelled, lunging across the room to shield Sophie.
Two men in dark tactical gear burst through the shattered window, while another kicked open the motel door. They didn't look like police. They looked like hired security—professionals. Evelyn's private security force.
"Grab the girl!" one of them shouted.
I didn't hesitate. My military instinct took over. I grabbed the heavy wooden desk chair and swung it with all my might, smashing it into the first man's chest. He stumbled back. I grabbed his tactical vest, threw him to the ground, and delivered a swift kick to his jaw, knocking him unconscious.
Laura was screaming, trying to pull Sophie toward the bathroom. The second man grabbed Laura by the hair, throwing her aside. He reached for Sophie.
"No!" I roared.
I tackled him from behind, slamming his head against the wall. We crashed to the floor. He was strong, trained, but he didn't have the rage of a father protecting his child. I managed to get him in a chokehold, squeezing until his eyes rolled back and his body went limp.
The third man, who had come through the door, pulled a taser. Before he could fire, Laura threw a heavy ceramic lamp at his head. It shattered against his temple, distracting him just long enough for me to spring up and disarm him, sweeping his legs out from under him.
"We have to go! Now!" I yelled, grabbing the laptop, the USB drives, and the ledger.
I scooped Sophie into my arms. She was crying, clinging to my neck. Laura was bruised and shaking, but she stood up, determination finally replacing the fear in her eyes.
"The back exit," Laura said. "They have cars in the front."
We ran down the narrow motel hallway, bursting through the fire exit into the freezing night. The snow was falling harder now, covering our tracks. We jumped into my car. I fired up the engine, threw it into drive, and tore out of the parking lot just as two more black SUVs pulled in.
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"Where are we going?" Laura gasped, looking back at the headlights fading in the distance. "My mother won't stop. She has resources everywhere."
"We're going to someone she can't buy," I said, my jaw clenched. "My old commanding officer. Colonel Vance. He runs a private security firm now. He has federal connections. We're going to blow this whole thing wide open."
