Chapter 207: Protecting Elias
St. Mary’s Kindergarten.
Suddenly, a modified black SUV smashed through the wrought-iron fence. Before the vehicle had even come to a full stop, the side door slid open. Three men in black tactical masks leaped out, moving with surgical precision toward Elias, who was playing in the sandbox by the slide.
"The kid! Take him alive!"
The roar of the crash had frozen Elias in place. His plastic shovel hit the sand. As he tried to stand, a large hand reached for him.
"Damn it! Go, go, go!" Special agents hidden in the bushes and the security booth reacted instantly.
The "Alpha" unit Ryan had stationed there wasn't like typical school security. They didn't carry batons; they carried sidearms.
Pop! Pop!
Two gunshots rang out. Blood sprayed from the shoulder of the man reaching for Elias. He screamed and collapsed backward.
"It’s an ambush! Fall back!" The remaining kidnappers saw the tide turn. They dragged their wounded comrade toward the vehicle.
"Don't let them move! Ram them!" The security captain roared, flooring his armored SUV. He slammed into the side of the kidnappers' vehicle with a bone-jarring crunch.
A high-stakes chase erupted on the narrow street. The black SUV tried to force a breakthrough, swerving onto the sidewalk. Several accomplices nearby threw smoke grenades at the pursuing vehicles to cover their escape.
The chaos lasted ten minutes. It only ended when the sirens of the SWAT backup grew deafeningly loud. The remnants of the hit squad abandoned their wrecked vehicle and vanished into the sewers and a labyrinth of back alleys.
Half an hour later.
Evelyn pushed her car door open before it had even fully stopped. The scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
"Elias!" Evelyn sprinted past the line. She saw the security captain kneeling beside an ambulance.
Elias was huddled in the captain’s arms. His face was deathly pale, his eyes wide and vacant, his small body shaking uncontrollably. There were scrapes on his knees from falling during the scramble.
At the sound of the familiar voice, the boy turned his head slowly. "Mommy..."
The cry was weak, choked by sheer terror. Evelyn’s heart shattered. She lunged forward, snatching Elias from the captain and pulling him tightly against her chest.
"It’s okay. Mommy’s here. I’m here."
Smelling his mother’s familiar scent, the boy’s suppressed fear finally exploded. He sobbed loudly, his tiny hands clutching Evelyn’s hair so hard he wouldn't let go.
Ryan arrived seconds later. He took in the wreckage and the sight of the boy crying until he could barely breathe. The killing intent in Ryan’s eyes was far more terrifying now than it had been at the gala.
"Casualties?" Ryan’s voice was low and devoid of emotion.
"One alive, two dead. The rest vanished into the slums," the captain said, wiping blood from his face. "Boss, these guys are fanatics. They were wearing suicide vests. They didn't plan on coming back."
Chief Connor walked over with an evidence bag containing a half-crushed communicator. "We found this on the one we took alive," Connor said grimly. "Tech just cracked an unsent draft."
Ryan took it. His pupils shrank. It wasn't an escape route. It was a detailed structural map of the Lawrence Estate.
The red circles weren't on the vaults or the study. They were on the main ventilation intakes and the nodes for the underground gas lines.
"They're planning a siege," Connor whispered. "It’s not just a kidnapping. They want to trigger a massive explosion and bury every core member of the Lawrence family alive."
"The remnants of the Twin Snakes are going for broke."
Ryan tossed the bag back. He turned to Evelyn. She had finally calmed Elias down; the boy had fallen into an exhausted sleep on her shoulder, still hiccuping occasionally. She handed the child to the nannies and guards to be secured in the armored car.
"Did you find anything?" Evelyn asked, stepping up to Ryan. She straightened her messy collar, her amber eyes like frozen lakes.
"They’re targeting the estate," Ryan said. He didn't hide the truth. "But they’re leaderless right now. Richard fled. They need a new command center."
"Then we find that center and burn it to the ground." Evelyn didn't flinch. "I don't care what it costs, Ryan. I will not let Elias go through this again."
If Ryan hadn't arranged high-level security, the outcome would have been unthinkable. The mere thought of Elias in the hands of those terrorists made her blood run cold.
"I will," Ryan promised, taking her hand. "Let's move. It's not safe here. Richard might still be lurking."
The convoy escorted them away from the kindergarten. The interior of the car was silent. With Elias asleep on Ryan’s lap, Evelyn stared out the window at the passing scenery. The feeling of being watched by a venomous snake was suffocating.
Suddenly, the phone in her pocket vibrated. It wasn't a short text. It was a multimedia message from an unknown number.
Evelyn opened it. Her breath hitched.
The screen showed a faded, old photograph. It was taken twenty years ago on a street in Paris. A young woman sat in an outdoor cafe reading a book, sunlight hitting her face. It was her mother, Madeleine.
But the angle was chilling. It was taken from a high vantage point in a building across the street. In the bottom right corner, you could see the faint crosshairs of a sniper scope.
Even twenty years ago—long before this "Twin Snakes" organization was supposedly formed—her mother had been in their sights? Evelyn’s fingers shook.
Then, a second message popped up. No name. Just one line:
It’s time to pay the debt your mother owed.
Evelyn stared at the words, the light of the screen reflecting on her pale face. This wasn't just a threat. It was a declaration of war.
Who was this "second head" hiding behind Richard? And what grudge did they hold against Madeleine?
"What is it?" Ryan noticed her reaction and reached for the phone.
Evelyn instinctively locked the screen and took a deep breath. "Just spam."
She looked at the sleeping Elias. Her gaze became hard and resolute. Whoever they were, if they wanted to settle this debt with her, she would give them exactly what they deserved.
"Ryan," Evelyn said suddenly. "I want every file the family has on why my mother left. All of it."