Chapter 8: Confrontation at Dawn
"We have you cornered, Marcus," the lead security guard shouted, taking slow, deliberate steps forward while keeping his weapon leveled at Thomas’s chest. "Drop the drive and step away from Vance."
Evelyn didn't hesitate. Reacting with lightning speed born of pure survival instinct, she shoved Marcus behind a sturdy structural pillar and kicked a loose iron pipe across the wooden decking directly into the path of the oncoming guard. The man tripped heavily over the rolling metal cylinder, crashing hard onto the splintered planks with a loud groan, his sidearm clattering away into the tall weeds.
The second guard raised his weapon, aiming directly at Evelyn, but Thomas lunged forward with explosive force, tackling the man sideways into a pile of rotting wooden crates just as a shot rang out, shattering the glass of an old overhead window. The struggle was brief and brutal; Thomas pinned the guard’s arm behind his back with a sharp twist, disarming him instantly and pressing him face-down against the floorboards.
"Stay down!" Thomas commanded, panting heavily as he secured the man's hands with plastic zip-ties he had carried in his jacket pocket.
Evelyn turned back to Marcus, who was trembling slightly against the timber pillar, still clutching the silver flash drive in his pale hand. "Are you hurt, Marcus?" she asked urgently, examining him for any sign of injury.
"I... I'm fine," Marcus stammered, catching his breath as he handed the small metallic drive directly into her palm. "You have the entire financial ledger, the offshore transaction records, and the internal memos regarding Arthur’s disappearance. It’s all right there."
"We cannot stay here," Evelyn said, pocketing the drive securely inside her jacket. "If two guards were dispatched, a secondary team is likely en route to intercept your return to the estate. You must go back immediately, Marcus, before they realize you were missing from your quarters."
"No," Marcus said softly, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "My part in this Vance chapter is finished, Evelyn. If I return now, Katherine will know I aided your escape. I’m coming with you."
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Thomas helped the disarmed guards secure themselves further before turning to the old archivist. "There’s an old forestry cabin fifty miles west across the county line. Pack your things; we’re moving the entire operation before sunrise."
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