Chapter 6 - The Ghost of Arthur Blackwood
The study fell into a suffocating silence. The air in the room felt suddenly thin, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out. Ethan stood frozen, the phone receiver pressed so tightly against his ear that his fingers throbbed.
"Father...?" Ethan’s voice was barely a whisper, a mix of sheer disbelief and rising horror.
On the other end of the line, a low, cold laugh echoed softly. "You sound surprised, my boy. Did you really believe a man of my intellect would allow himself to perish in a mundane plane crash over the Atlantic? No. Arthur Blackwood was a pathetic idealist who bound himself to corporate boardrooms and public scrutiny. Julian, however... Julian commands absolute power from the shadows."
Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes burning with sudden, unbridled rage. "You fake your death ten years ago... and then you let your own brother kidnap my wife? You let my daughter grow up in a servant's closet?! What kind of monster are you?!"
"A visionary," Julian replied without a shred of remorse or emotion. "Your grandfather's trust was foolishly designed to distribute wealth to offspring who lacked the stomach to wield real power. Victor was weak, greedy, and stupid. I used his petty ambition to test you, Ethan. And I must admit, you exceeded my expectations tonight. You saved the child. You rescued Amelia. You proved yourself worthy of the Blackwood bloodline."
"I am nothing like you!" Ethan roared into the phone. "Where are you?! Face me like a man!"
"In due time, my son," Julian purred calmly. "You see, Victor was merely a distraction. The offshore accounts he drained were transferred directly into my global network. I now control sixty percent of Blackwood International's debt obligations through secondary holding firms. By this time tomorrow, I will trigger a foreclosure clause that will bankrupt your company and strip you of every asset you own—including your estate."
"I'll fight you in every court on Earth!"
"You can try," Julian chuckled smoothly. "But while you spend your energy fighting lawyers, ask yourself this: how safe are Amelia and little Lily inside that mansion?"
Ethan’s heart dropped into his stomach. "If you lay a finger on them—"
"I don't need to," Julian interrupted coldly. "Look out your study window, Ethan."
Ethan dropped the phone receiver, sprinting across the thick carpet toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows overseeing the sprawling estate grounds.
Outside, thick black smoke was rising from the east security gatehouse.
Suddenly, explosions rocked the perimeter wall. Orange fire erupted into the dark night sky as high-caliber gunfire echoed through the manicured gardens!
"Marcus!" Ethan screamed, turning back toward the room.
Marcus was already pulling his tactical sidearm, shouting into his radio comms. "All teams, red alert! We have multiple armed breaches on the perimeter! Repeat, heavy hostile contact at Gates 1 and 2!"
Static cracked over the radio, followed by frantic screams of security guards: *"They're using heavy explosives! They're inside the courtyard! Fall back to the main house!"*
Ethan rushed out of the study and sprinted down the long marble corridor toward the master suite. "Amelia! Lily!"
Inside the bedroom, Amelia was huddled on the floor near the four-poster bed, clutching Lily tightly in her arms. Two private security guards stood near the bedroom balcony, weapons raised toward the terrace.
"Ethan!" Amelia cried out as he kicked the door open. "What's happening?!"
"We're under attack," Ethan panted, drawing his own handgun from his waistband. "We have to get to the panic room in the sub-basement now!"
Before they could move, the heavy glass balcony windows exploded inward in a rain of razor-sharp shards!
Three men dressed in black tactical gear with night-vision goggles swung into the bedroom on ropes, assault rifles raised.
"Get down!" Ethan yelled, diving across the floor.
The room erupted into chaotic, deafening gunfire. The two Blackwood security guards fired back instantly, dropping one attacker to the floor, but were quickly overwhelmed by suppressive fire from the remaining two assailants.
Ethan rolled behind a heavy mahogany wardrobe, popped up, and fired three precise shots. The second attacker collapsed onto the carpet.
The third attacker, however, spun around and grabbed Lily by her collar, yanking her off the floor and holding a combat knife to her throat!
"Don't move!" the mercenary barked, his voice muffled by a gas mask. "Put the gun down, Blackwood, or the girl dies right now!"
Lily screamed in terror, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Daddy! Help me!"
Amelia shrieked, trying to crawl forward, but Ethan held out a hand to stop her.
Ethan slowly lowered his gun, his eyes locking onto the mercenary's visible eyes through the goggles. "Listen to me very carefully. Whatever Julian is paying you, I will quadruple it. Just let the child go."
The mercenary sneered behind his mask. "Master Julian doesn't pay in cash, billionaire. He pays in survival. Drop the gun!"
Ethan lowered his hand, placing the weapon onto the floor. "Okay. Okay. See? I dropped it. Just don't hurt her."
"Move toward the door," the mercenary ordered, dragging Lily backward toward the balcony. "Master Julian wants the child brought to the harbor tonight. You and your wife can watch her leave."
Lily cried out, struggling against the heavy grip. "Daddy!"
Suddenly, Lily stopped crying. Her eyes shifted toward the floor near the mercenary's boots.
On the carpet sat the heavy porcelain bedside lamp, its glass base shattered, exposing thick copper electrical wires connected to the wall outlet. Water from a spilled flower vase was pooling rapidly across the hardwood floor right around the mercenary's tactical boots.
Lily looked straight at Ethan, her eyes filled with an intelligence and bravery far beyond her seven years.
Without warning, Lily kicked her small heel down as hard as she could onto the mercenary's instep, while simultaneously grabbing the exposed electrical wire from the floor and jamming it straight into the wet puddle near his boots!
A blinding blue spark erupted with a sharp crack!
Thousands of volts of electric current surged through the water, shocking the mercenary instantly. He howled in agony, his muscles convulsing violently as he dropped the knife and released Lily!
"Now, Ethan!" Amelia screamed.
Ethan lunged forward like a panther, tackling the stunned mercenary to the floor and slamming a heavy right fist directly into his jaw, knocking him unconscious cold.
Ethan grabbed Lily, pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace. "Are you okay?! Did he cut you?!"
Lily shook her head, gasping for air, clutching Ethan's shirt. "I... I remembered what you said, Daddy. We don't give up."
Ethan looked at his daughter in utter awe. She was not just a survivor; she was a true Blackwood.
"Marcus!" Ethan shouted into his radio as Marcus ran into the destroyed bedroom, his tactical vest covered in drywall dust. "Status!"
"We repelled the primary breach team at the gate, sir," Marcus panted, checking the unconscious mercenary on the floor. "But they were just a distraction. They were sent to snatch Lily while the main force hit our server facility downtown!"
Ethan stood up, his eyes cold and dark. "Julian isn't just trying to destroy my family. He's trying to erase every piece of digital evidence connecting him to Arthur Blackwood's past."
"What do we do, Mr. Blackwood?" Marcus asked.
Ethan looked at Amelia and Lily, holding them close. "We stop running. We stop playing defense."
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Ethan turned to Marcus. "Get the chopper ready on the roof. We're going to Boston Harbor. It's time to bring my father out of the shadows once and for all."
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