Chapter 2 - HUNTED IN THE HILLS
"GET IN THE CAR!" Nathan roared, grabbing Claire by the arm and dragging her toward the Subaru.
Another shot shattered the rear windshield of Nathan’s Audi, showering the gravel with dark safety glass.
Inside the Subaru, little Maya screamed, clutching her stuffed elephant, while Leo cowered against his car seat. Claire threw herself into the driver’s seat, while Nathan dove into the passenger side, slamming the door just as a heavy black SUV burst out of the tree line, aiming directly for their rear bumper.
"Drive! Go, Claire, go!" Nathan yelled, checking his side mirror.
Claire slammed her foot on the accelerator. The Subaru’s tires spun violently on the loose gravel before catching traction, launching the vehicle down the narrow, winding dirt road of Creek Road.
"Who are they?!" Claire cried out, her hands shaking on the steering wheel as she navigated a sharp hairpin turn. "How did they find us?!"
"They didn't find you," Nathan said bitterly, his mind assembling the terrifying logic of the situation. "They followed me. I’ve been staying at my private estate in Harrisburg for the weekend. Marcus knew I was in the state. The moment my Audi registered on local traffic cameras near Maple Ridge, Arthur’s people must have flagged it. They thought I was following a lead!"
The black SUV rammed the back of the Subaru with a deafening crunch of metal. Maya let out a terrified shriek.
"Leo, Maya, stay down! Cover your ears!" Claire yelled through her tears.
"Give me the wheel!" Nathan commanded.
"What?!"
"Shift over! Now!" Nathan grabbed the steering wheel from the passenger seat, using his left foot to press down on the brake just enough to cause the black SUV to overshoot them on the narrow road.
As the larger vehicle skidded past, Nathan yanked the wheel hard to the right, slamming the Subaru's reinforced front bumper into the rear quarter-panel of the pursuer. The black SUV lost traction on the muddy shoulder, spinning wildly out of control before crashing violently into a thick stand of oak trees.
Engine smoke billowed into the cold afternoon air as the pursuer's vehicle came to a dead stop.
Claire brought the Subaru to a halt fifty yards down the road, her chest heaving, her knuckles white on the wheel. In the backseat, the toddlers were sobbing softly.
Nathan didn't hesitate. "Stay here."
"Nathan, no!" Claire begged, grabbing his sleeve.
Nathan looked at her, his eyes cold and dark with a lethal intensity she had never seen in him during their life in Manhattan. "They tried to hurt my family twice. I am not running anymore."
Nathan stepped out of the car and walked purposefully toward the smoking wreck of the black SUV. The driver’s side door was jammed, but the side window was shattered. Inside, a man in a tactical jacket was groaning, blood pouring from a gash on his forehead.
Nathan reached through the broken window, grabbed the man by his collar, and yanked him flush against the door frame.
"Who sent you?" Nathan growled, his voice dangerously low.
The man spat blood, glaring at Nathan with dazed defiance. "Go to hell, Whitaker..."
Nathan tightened his grip, digging his thumb directly into the bleeding wound on the man's forehead. The man let out a sharp howl of agony.
"I have spent three years in hell," Nathan whispered, his face inches from the assassin's. "I have nothing left to lose. Tell me who gave the order, or I will let this fuel line leak hit the hot engine block while you're still pinned inside."
The man gasped, panic overtaking his eyes as he smelled the strong fumes of gasoline spreading under the chassis. "Marcus! It was Marcus! He saw your GPS tracking ping near Maple Ridge! He told us to clean up the girl and the kids before you found them!"
"Where is Arthur?" Nathan demanded.
"In... in Philadelphia," the man choked out. "At the Bellevue Hotel... emergency board meeting tonight... they're filing the papers to seize your voting shares at midnight..."
Nathan shoved the man back into the seat, reached into the man's jacket, and snatched his encrypted satellite phone and tactical sidearm.
He walked back to the Subaru with steady, deliberate steps. He opened the back door first.
Leo looked up at him, tears streaking his dust-covered cheeks. Nathan knelt down on the gravel, bringing himself eye-level with his son. He tossed the weapon into his coat pocket out of sight and softened his face entirely.
"Hey buddy," Nathan said gently, his voice smooth and comforting. "I'm sorry about the bumps. Are you okay?"
Leo sniffled, looking at Nathan’s eyes. "Are you the man from the picture in Mama's drawer?"
Nathan felt a tear slip down his cheek. "Yes, Leo. I'm your daddy."
Leo looked at him for a long moment, then slowly reached out his tiny hand, touching Nathan's silver-streaked hair. "Mama said you were far away fighting monsters."
Nathan captured the boy's small hand in his own, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. "The fight is almost over, little man. I promise."
May you like
Nathan turned to Claire, who was watching them with a mixture of awe and profound relief.
"We have six hours," Nathan said, his tone switching back to precise, strategic command. "Arthur is meeting the board in Philadelphia tonight to steal the company. He thinks we're dead or running. We are going to go to Philadelphia, and we are going to burn his empire to the ground."
