Chapter 36 - Fire at the Lake
The news of Silas Vance’s escape sent an immediate, terrifying jolt of adrenaline through my veins. He was a desperate, highly dangerous corporate fixer facing life in prison because of my trap. He had nothing left to lose, and he knew exactly where to find me.
"He's going to the retreat," I said instantly, absolute certainty gripping my chest. "He blames me for his capture. He wants to destroy the one thing I love."
Elias immediately mobilized his security team, loading us into heavily armored SUVs. The drive back to the Emma and Ethan Mercer Memorial Retreat was a blur of flashing sirens and tense, suffocating silence.
As we approached the long, winding driveway leading to the lake property, a thick, dark plume of black smoke was already billowing into the twilight sky.
"He breached the perimeter!" Elias shouted over the radio, accelerating the SUV aggressively.
We slammed to a halt near the front gates. The beautiful, grand wooden lodge wasn't fully engulfed, but bright, vicious flames were licking aggressively up the sides of the eastern wing—the administrative office. Silas was trying to burn the sanctuary to the ground.
I didn't wait for Elias to secure the area. The thought of my children's memory turning to ash fueled a blinding, ferocious courage. I sprinted toward the lodge, ignoring Elias shouting my name.
I grabbed a heavy fire extinguisher from the exterior mounting station and kicked the side door open, coughing as the thick, acrid smoke filled my lungs.
Through the haze, illuminated by the flickering orange flames, I saw him. Silas Vance was pouring a highly flammable accelerant over the mahogany desk in the main office.
"Silas!" I screamed, my voice raw and commanding.
May you like
He whipped around, a feral, desperate look in his eyes. He dropped the fuel canister and pulled a heavy hunting knife from his belt.
"You ruined my life!" Silas roared, lunging toward me through the smoke.
