Chapter 4 - The Storm on the Fourth Floor
The roar of the helicopter blades deafened the sky as the dark transport swept over the city skyline, cutting through the smog and landing on the rooftop of a commercial building adjacent to Aldridge Street.
Below us, two armored tactical SUVs, dispatched by Marcus, smashed through the alleyway barricades, blocking the dark sedans.
Nathaniel held my hand tightly as we sprinted down the stairwell of my apartment building, escorted by four heavily armed private security operatives. My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird.
When we reached the fourth floor, the wooden door to Apartment 4B had already been kicked off its hinges.
"Clara!" Nathaniel roared, stepping through the splintered frame first.
Inside our cramped, poorly lit living room, my mother was cornered near the kitchen counter, holding a heavy iron skillet in her hands. Her hair was messy, her eyes wide with terror, but her stance was fierce. In front of her stood Richard Sterling—a middle-aged man in an expensive suit—along with two hulking thugs holding crowbars.
"I told you twelve years ago to stay buried, Clara," Sterling sneered, holding a folder of legal documents. "If you had just signed over the remaining trust deeds quietly, I would have let you leave the city. Now you're making this difficult."
"I will die before I give you Nathaniel's legacy," my mother spat, her knuckles white on the handle of the skillet.
"That can be arranged—" Sterling began.
"Touch her, Richard, and you won't survive the next five seconds," Nathaniel’s voice echoed like thunder through the small apartment.
Sterling spun around, his face draining of all color as he saw Nathaniel standing in the doorway, backed by armed security.
"Graves?!" Sterling stammered, taking a step back in sheer panic. "How... how did you find this place? The address was scrubbed!"
From behind Nathaniel, I stepped into the room. "He found it because I brought him his wallet, Mr. Sterling."
My mother’s eyes darted from Sterling to Nathaniel, then down to me. The skillet slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the linoleum floor.
"Nathaniel?" she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "You're... you're alive?"
"I never stopped loving you, Clara," Nathaniel said, his voice breaking with raw emotion. "And our daughter brought me back to you."
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Before Sterling’s thugs could even move, Marcus and the security team tackled them to the floor, pinning them in seconds. Marcus grabbed Sterling by his silk tie, slamming him against the wall and snapping handcuffs around his wrists.
"Richard Sterling," Marcus said coldly, "you're under arrest for attempted murder, corporate espionage, extortion, and kidnapping."
