Chapter 8: The Emergency Council
Within forty minutes of Ethan's phone call, the heavy oak doors of Raven Lake Lodge slammed open. Jack strode into the study like a localized thunderstorm, his leather vest pulled back on, his face carved from granite. Frank and Daniel trailed close behind him, their expressions grim and battle-ready.
Ethan sat by the fireplace, the unopened envelope from Vance Enterprises resting on the coffee table.
Jack walked straight over, grabbing the envelope and tearing it open. He scanned the legal letterhead inside, his jaw muscles clenching so hard a vein throbbed visibly at his temple.
"Vance," Jack growled, the single word carrying a lethal promise of violence. "The cowardly bastard is using you to get to me."
"He threatened my mother, Jack," Ethan said, standing up to meet the biker's intense gaze. "He knows who I am. He knows about the foundation. He thinks I'm a vulnerability."
Jack looked at Ethan, the fierce, protective fury in his eyes softening into a profound, unwavering resolve. "You are not a vulnerability, Ethan. You are my family. And nobody touches my family."
Frank stepped forward, resting his heavy hand on the butt of a tactical knife sheathed at his belt. "Wolf, Vance has been pushing legal boundaries for months, but coming after the boy crosses a red line. If we don't hit him back, and hit him hard, he's going to think we're backing down."
"We aren't backing down," Jack said coldly. He turned to Daniel. "Pull every financial audit we have on Vance Enterprises. Every zoning violation, every illegal payoff, every shell corporation he’s used to launder money through municipal real estate. I want a complete dossier on his operations by midnight."
"Already on it, boss," Daniel nodded, turning sharply toward the computer terminals.
May you like
Jack looked back at Ethan, placing both hands firmly on the teenager's shoulders. "Listen to me very carefully, Ethan. Marcus Vance is a shark. He smells blood because he thinks we're vulnerable. But he doesn't know who he's dealing with. For twenty years, I fought to keep your father's memory alive. I will burn Vance's entire empire to ash before I let him lay a finger on you or your mother."
Ethan felt a deep, fierce surge of pride swell within his chest. He wasn't just a busboy anymore. He was a Brooks. And the wolves were circling the wagons.
