Chapter 6 - The Siege of Oak Brook
The heavy tactical helicopter cut through the grey afternoon clouds above the snow-covered estate in Oak Brook.
Below, the serene snow-covered lawns of the lakeside estate were marked by tire tracks and smoke. Two black vans were jammed against the estate's iron gates, and gunfire crackled through the trees near the perimeter wall.
Cole’s private security detail—veterans of elite military units—were holding the line near the main entrance, keeping the intruders pinned down near the fountain.
Inside the estate's reinforced panic room in the basement, Maya sat holding Evelyn’s trembling hands, while Moose stood guard at the heavy steel door, his fur bristling, his teeth bared in a terrifying snarl.
"They won't hurt us, Mrs. Ashworth," Maya whispered, trying to keep her own voice from shaking. "Cole is coming."
"I know my boy," Evelyn said, her eyes calm, holding a silver rosary in her lap. "He won't let the darkness touch this house again."
Above them, the helicopter touched down on the main lawn with a deafening roar of rotor blades.
The side door flew open before the skids even hit the snow.
Cole Ashworth leaped out onto the lawn, wielding a tactical shotgun, flanked by Marcus and eight heavily armed operatives.
"Clear the grounds!" Cole commanded over the headset roar. "Leave none of them standing!"
The battle for Oak Brook was short, brutal, and decisive. Dominic Vance’s hit squad had expected a quiet residential estate with basic security; instead, they had walked into a fortified military perimeter commanded by a man defending his mother's life.
Within four minutes, seven of Vance’s mercenaries were disarmed and pinned to the snowy lawn, while the rest fled into the surrounding woods.
Cole kicked open the driver's door of the lead black van.
Sitting in the passenger seat, bleeding from a shoulder wound, was Dominic Vance’s eldest son and top enforcer, Paul Vance.
Cole reached into the cab, grabbed Paul by the collar of his tactical vest, dragged him out through the window, and slammed him face-first onto the hood of the idling van.
"You brought guns to my mother's house, Paul?" Cole whispered, pressing the warm barrel of his weapon against the back of Paul’s neck.
"Ashworth... wait!" Paul gasped, choking on blood and snow. "It was my father's idea! He said if we took the old woman, you’d surrender the shipping docks without a fight!"
May you like
"Your father thought like a coward," Cole said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "And now he’s going to watch his empire burn."
Cole looked at Marcus. "Bind his hands. We're making a delivery to the West Side."
