CHAPTER 7: The Man Who Refused to Die
CHAPTER 7: The Man Who Refused to Die
The cold night air froze around them.
Three armed men stood between Ethan and the only road leading away from the warehouse.
The tallest one smiled as he aimed his pistol.
"Mr. Hale..."
"You really do have a bad habit of surviving."
Caleb slowly raised his hands.
Victor discreetly slipped his phone into his coat pocket without ending the recording.
Ethan's eyes never left the gunman.
"So Richard sent you."
The man chuckled.
"You already know too much."
Behind the warehouse windows, Brooke suddenly noticed movement outside.
She stepped closer to the glass.
Her face turned white.
"Ethan..."
Richard spun toward the window.
For the first time in twelve years, the composed CFO looked genuinely terrified.
"He was supposed to be unconscious!"
Ryan cursed under his breath.
"We've been set up."
Outside, the lead gunman ordered, "Phones. Now."
Instead of complying, Caleb pressed a tiny button hidden inside his key fob.
Nothing appeared to happen.
The gunmen laughed.
"What was that supposed to do?"
Caleb smiled.
"You'll find out."
Less than thirty seconds later...
The quiet mountain road erupted with flashing blue and red lights.
Police cruisers surged through the front gate of the abandoned warehouse from both directions.
Unmarked SUVs followed close behind.
A police helicopter circled overhead, bathing the entire property in a brilliant spotlight.
"Lose the weapons!" a loudspeaker commanded.
"State police! Drop your guns!"
The gunmen froze.
Victor smiled for the first time that night.
"The recording was being uploaded live."
The key fob had never been a panic alarm.
It had activated an emergency transmission Caleb had installed after Ethan insisted on staging the fake accident.
Every conversation inside the warehouse had already been sent to Victor's law firm, the district attorney's office, and the Colorado State Police.
Richard realized it too late.
He bolted toward the back exit.
Brooke followed.
Ryan reached for another door.
None of them got far.
Within seconds, officers flooded the building.
"Police! Don't move!"
Ryan attempted to run and slipped on the icy concrete floor.
Richard was tackled before reaching the loading dock.
Brooke stood perfectly still, tears streaming down her face.
"I didn't mean—"
"Hands behind your back."
"I can explain!"
An officer calmly replied,
"You can explain downtown."
As handcuffs clicked around her wrists, Brooke looked directly at Ethan.
"I loved you."
Ethan's expression never changed.
May you like
"No."
"You loved what you thought you could inherit."
