Chapter 5 - The Dawn Siege
By 6:30 a.m., Melanie had wrapped the girls as best as she could and crept down the rear fire escape into the frozen alley. Her plan was simple: get back to the diner, grab her final paycheck from the safe before Mr. Henderson arrived, and take a bus out of the city.
However, as they rounded the corner toward the Rusty Fork, the scene ahead made her drop to her knees behind a snowdrift.
The entire block surrounding the diner was sealed off.
At least twelve jet-black luxury SUVs and armored sedans were parked at aggressive angles, blocking the streets. Dozens of men in tailored dark coats, tactical vests, and visible automatic weapons moved with terrifying, military precision, clearing every sidewalk, searching every parked vehicle, and interrogating shivering street vendors.
This was not the police. This was Lucian Vance’s private army.
"That's Daddy's men," Sophia whispered, her voice a mix of hope and terror.
Melanie hesitated. What if Vance’s enemies had taken over his network? What if these men were the ones who shot Uncle Paul?
Before she could make a decision, a heavy boot crunched in the snow directly behind them.
"Don't move," a deep, raspy voice commanded.
Melanie spun around, placing her body completely over Sophia and Lily. A tall, scarred man in a tactical jacket held a suppressed pistol pointed directly at her chest.
"I found them!" the man yelled into his shoulder radio. "Sector four! Behind the brick wall!"
Within ten seconds, the alley was flooded with armed men. Melanie scrambled backward against the brick wall, holding the crying children tightly in her arms, her eyes wild with defense.
"Stay away from them!" Melanie screamed, her voice echoing off the cold brick. "Don't you dare touch them!"
The armed men formed a rigid wall, stepping aside as the rear door of the central black SUV opened.
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A man stepped out into the freezing air. He wore a long charcoal wool coat over a dark suit. He was tall, striking, with silver-threaded dark hair and eyes so cold and intense they looked like chipped ice. But his face was bruised, his shirt collar was stained with blood, and his hands were shaking.
Lucian Vance had arrived.
