Chapter 6 - The Fall on the Ice
"Vance, don't do it!" Arthur screamed, taking a desperate step forward onto the snow-covered dock.
The mercenaries, realizing the State Police had them surrounded, slowly dropped their weapons and raised their hands in the air. But Victor Vance was no longer thinking rationally. His multi-million dollar empire was crumbling, his freedom was gone, and the woman holding the key to his destruction was standing right in front of him.
"You ruined everything, Daniel," Vance muttered under his breath, his eyes wild and unhinged, pointing the gun at Claire. "Your wife dies with you."
Before Vance could pull the trigger, Marcus—still bleeding on the floor—lunged forward with all the remaining strength in his body. He tackled Vance at the knees, knocking the gun wild.
A loud gunshot shattered the winter air. The bullet tore through the wooden roof of the boathouse.
Claire didn't hesitate. She grabbed Noah and Lily, pushing them through the side door of the boathouse onto the frozen lake, running as fast as her cracked boots could carry them across the snow-dusted ice.
Vance kicked Marcus off him, scrambled to his feet, and grabbed the laptop. He shoved past his surrendered men and sprinted out the back door onto the frozen lake, pursuing Claire into the white glare of the morning sun.
"Claire! Run!" Arthur’s voice echoed behind them.
Claire slipped on a patch of black ice, crashing hard onto her knees. Lily tumbled beside her, crying in pain. Noah tried to pull his sister up, but Vance was already upon them, his heavy boots crunching against the ice.
"Give me the journal!" Vance roared, snatching at the strap of Claire’s bag.
"Let go of her!" Arthur yelled. The old man was running out onto the ice, his polished shoes sliding violently, a police officer close behind him.
Vance yanked the bag from Claire’s shoulder, but in his madness, he didn't look where he was standing.
A loud, terrifying crack echoed across the frozen lake.
The ice beneath Vance’s feet began to spider-web in every direction. Lines of dark water bubbled up through the white surface.
"Vance, stop moving!" the police officer shouted, raising his firearm. "The ice is unstable!"
Vance looked down at the creaking, splitting surface beneath his feet. Fear finally broke through his madness. "No... no, no..."
He took one frantic step backward toward solid ground, but his weight was too much. With a sound like a gunshot, the ice gave way completely.
Vance screamed as he plunged into the black, freezing water of Lake Michigamme. The heavy laptop and his heavy winter coat dragged him down instantly. He surfaced once, gasping for air, his hands clawing at the slick edges of the broken ice.
"Help me!" Vance choked out, his face turning blue within seconds. "Holloway! Help me!"
Arthur reached the edge of the safe ice. He looked down at the man who had ordered his son's murder, the man who had hunted his daughter-in-law and grandchildren like animals.
Arthur extended a long wooden branch he had grabbed from the shore. "Grab it, Vance!" Arthur commanded. "You don't get to die in the cold! You get to sit in a cell for the rest of your life!"
Vance reached for the branch, his frostbitten fingers slipping twice before grabbing hold. With the help of the state troopers, Arthur dragged the shivering, half-drowned CEO out of the freezing abyss and onto the solid snow.
Claire sat on the ice, cradling Noah and Lily in her arms, wrapping them in her coat. She was trembling so violently she couldn't stand.
Arthur dropped to his knees in the snow beside her. He didn't look at Vance being hand-cuffed by the police. He didn't look at the officers taking the laptop from the water.
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He reached out his trembling hands and wrapped his arms around Claire and the two weeping children, pulling them all into his chest.
"It’s over, Claire," Arthur sobbed, his head resting against hers, his tears hot against her frozen cheek. "It’s over. I’ve got you. I’ve got all of you."
