Chapter 14 - The AmbushThe Oakhaven estate was cloaked in darkness. A heavy mist rolled off the nearby river, swallowing the grounds.
To anyone watching from the road, the house looked quiet and vulnerable. Just a single mother and a massive trust fund.
They had no idea that twenty heavily armed FBI tactical agents were hidden in the treeline, the guest house, and the attic. My father was stationed in the library, a suppressed rifle resting on a bipod near the window, his sights trained on the front gates.
I sat alone in the grand living room, a steel briefcase resting on the coffee table in front of me. Inside were $500,000 in marked federal bearer bonds. I wore a hidden earpiece, connecting me to Agent Miller and my father.
At exactly midnight, the burner phone on the table buzzed.
"Open the gates," a thick, accented voice commanded.
I pressed the remote. The heavy iron gates swung open. Two black SUVs glided up the driveway, their headlights cutting through the fog. They parked aggressively in front of the rebuilt porch.
Four men stepped out. They weren't street thugs; they were seasoned enforcers, wearing expensive leather jackets and carrying concealed weapons.
They walked up the steps and pushed the front door open, stepping into my living room.
"Mrs. Vance," the lead enforcer said, a cruel smirk on his face. He looked around the empty room, clearly amused by how easy this was. "Where is the baby? We wanted to see the cute little boy."
"My son is far away from here," I said, keeping my voice utterly devoid of emotion. I rested my hand on the briefcase. "I have the bonds. Take them and your debt is settled. Ethan’s problems are no longer mine."
The enforcer laughed, stepping closer. "Fifty percent interest for the delay, Mrs. Vance. We take this today, and we come back for the rest next month. You are our personal bank now."
He reached for the briefcase.
"Claire, drop," my father's voice cracked through the earpiece.
I threw myself backward, rolling behind the heavy mahogany sofa.
Suddenly, the living room windows shattered inward as flashbang grenades were launched from the darkness. A blinding white light and a deafening BOOM rocked the house.
Before the enforcers could even draw their weapons, the front doors were kicked off their hinges.
"FBI! DROP YOUR WEAPONS! GET ON THE GROUND!"
Red laser sights painted the chests of the four men. Agent Miller and his tactical team swarmed the room. The enforcers, blinded and deafened, raised their hands in instant surrender, dropping to their knees.
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My father emerged from the hallway, his weapon lowered but his eyes blazing. He walked over to the lead enforcer, who was being handcuffed against the floor.
"Tell Kozlov," my father whispered down to the man, "that the Bennett family pays its debts in lead. If he ever looks in our direction again, I'm coming to Baltimore."
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