Chapter 3 - Ambush in the Antiques
"Down!" Arthur roared, grabbing Maya by the shoulder and shoving her violently behind the heavy oak display counter just as a quiet, deadly thwip-thwip shattered the silence of the shop.
Glass erupted in a shower of brilliant, dangerous shards, spraying across the velvet pads and pooling onto the floor. Maya screamed, curling her body over little Leo, who began to blare in terror against her chest.
Arthur didn't hesitate. Decades of living under high-security protocols and employing elite bodyguards meant he didn't panic when steel cleared leather. He reached under the counter, where the shop’s owner kept a heavy iron brass paperweight, whipped it out, and hurled it with brutal accuracy at the lead gunman.
The iron weight struck the man squarely in the throat. He gagged, dropping his weapon as he stumbled backward into a display of antique armor.
"Out the back! Move!" Arthur barked, grabbing Maya’s arm and dragging her toward the heavy curtain that led to the alleyway door.
The second gunman fired twice more, the suppressed rounds tearing through the plaster walls inches above Arthur's head. Arthur slammed his shoulder against the metal fire exit door, bursting out into the torrential rain of the narrow alleyway behind Hudson Street.
His armored SUV was idling fifty feet away, his personal driver and security chief, Marcus, sitting at the wheel.
"Marcus! Emergency extraction!" Arthur shouted into his wrist communicator as they sprinted through the slick black alley.
Marcus saw them in the rearview mirror, threw the heavy vehicle into reverse, and sent the three-ton SUV roaring down the alleyway toward them. The rear door clicked open automatically. Arthur practically threw Maya and the crying toddler inside before diving in after them and slamming the door shut.
A hail of quiet bullets rattled harmlessly against the reinforced bulletproof glass of the SUV as Marcus slammed on the gas, spinning the heavy tires and shooting out onto the main avenue, melting into the thick gridlock of Manhattan traffic.
Inside the quiet, leather-lined interior of the vehicle, Maya was hyperventilating, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she pressed her weeping child to her neck.
"It’s okay," Arthur said, his voice forced into a calm, steady rhythm despite his own wildly hammering heart. "The glass is B7 armored. Nothing short of a military rocket is getting through these doors."
Marcus looked back through the partition screen, his face grim. "Boss, who were those guys? They didn't move like street muscle. That was tactical precision."
"They were cleansers," Arthur said, wiping rain and sweat from his forehead. "Someone has been watching that locket for twenty-five years. The moment it moved—the moment it opened—they triggered a kill order."
Maya looked up at Arthur, her face pale, streaked with wet hair and tears. "They tried to kill us. They tried to kill my baby! What is happening, Mr. Sterling? Why would anyone want me dead?"
"They don't want you dead because of who you are, Maya," Arthur said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the tiny, folded note that he had managed to scoop off the counter before running. "They want you dead because of what you know. Or what Julianna thought you would find out."
He looked down at the note again.
If you are reading this, it means he finally found the boy.
"Marcus," Arthur called out to his driver. "Take us to the safehouse in Westchester. Lock down all public profiles for Maya Vance. Erase her address, her bank records, her phone location. As of right now, she doesn't exist."
"Understood, Mr. Sterling," Marcus replied, pulling onto the highway ramp toward the northern suburbs.
Maya clutched her son tighter, looking out the tinted window at the blurring city lights. "I can't just disappear! I have a job! I have an apartment!"
"If you go back to your apartment, you will die," Arthur said firmly, laying a hand gently on her knee. "Maya, look at me. My wife spent twenty-five years hiding from these people. She gave up her life, her husband, her wealth—everything—to keep a secret hidden in that silver locket. Whatever she was protecting, it’s connected to you. And I promise you on my life, I will not let them touch Julianna’s daughter."
May you like
Maya stared at him, the reality of the situation finally settling into her bones. "My mother... she didn't abandon me, did she?"
"No," Arthur said, a tear finally slipping down his cheek as he looked at the young woman who carried his lost wife’s eyes. "She died protecting you. Now it’s my turn."
