Chapter 14 - The Hunter Becomes the Shield
Clara dropped into the cold, damp earth beneath the floorboards, holding Leo tightly with one arm while dragging the heavy wooden trapdoor back into place. Through the floor planks above, the world erupted into violence.
Automatic gunfire shredded the cabin. Splinters of wood and glass rained down through the floorboards like hail. Jax was roaring—a primal, defiant battle cry that echoed over the deafening rattle of assault rifles. The concussive thuds of heavy impacts and shattering furniture vibrated through the foundation.
Clara scrambled through the darkness of the narrow tunnel, her knees scraping against sharp shale rock. Leo did not utter a single cry. His small hands gripped the fabric of her shirt, his face buried in her neck, bracing against the tremors running through the earth. He possessed a terrifying, preternatural understanding that silence was the only thing standing between them and the grave.
The tunnel sloped upward, leading toward the damp night air. Behind her, the sounds of gunfire abruptly ceased, replaced by the roar of an explosion. An orange flash illuminated the mouth of the tunnel as Jax detonated the cabin's propane reserves, turning the entire structure into a blazing inferno to cover their retreat.
Clara scrambled out onto the rocky outcrop above the ridge. Below, the cabin was a roaring pyre against the midnight sky, surrounded by burning pine trees.
She turned to run toward the eastern ridge, but a flashlight beam snapped on, blinding her.
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Standing on the ridge trail, blocking her only path of escape, was David. His tailored clothes were torn, soot streaking his pale face, but his eyes were wide with a manic, triumphant gleam. In his right hand, he held a stainless-steel revolver, leveled directly at Leo’s chest.
""End of the line, Clara,"" David whispered, cocking the hammer.
