Chapter 5 - The Trap is Sprung
Dominic set his mug down on the counter with a sharp click. The easy warmth of the kitchen evaporated instantly, replaced by the cold, calculated focus of a man accustomed to war rooms and corporate boardrooms. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy satellite phone, punching in a direct encrypted code while gesturing for Miller to lock the reinforced steel shutters over the lodge windows.
"How long?" Dominic asked into the phone, his voice hard as iron.
"Ten minutes out, sir," Miller muttered, tapping the touchscreen monitor. "They're using snow treads. Standard civilian models, but modified for high-torque clearance. They know the terrain."
I turned away from the counter, my heart hammering against my ribs as I looked toward the hallway where Lily and Grace were sitting on the rug with Mrs. Gable, coloring in sketchbooks. They hadn't heard the warning yet, their innocent laughter drifting faintly down the hall. I felt a sudden surge of protective fury that matched Dominic's own. I wasn't just a bystander anymore; I was part of this circle.
"They're looking for an isolated target," I said, stepping closer to Dominic as he ended the call. "If they came up the north road, they think you're holed up here alone with the girls. They don't know Miller and the team are already dug in."
Dominic looked at me, a grim smile touching the corner of his mouth. "You've got a sharper tactical mind than most of my board members, Emily."
"I grew up with three older brothers in a logging town," I retorted, crossing my arms. "You learn real quick how to spot a trap when someone's walking into your yard."
Dominic reached out, his hand gripping my shoulder firmly. The warmth of his palm anchored me against the rising panic. "Miller, take the eastern ridge line," Dominic ordered, turning to his head of security. "Draw them toward the frozen lake. Let them think the lodge is undefended until they cross the tree line. I want Reed to know we were waiting for him."
"Copy that, Mr. Vale," Miller said, grabbing his rifle from the rack and motioning the other two guards toward the mudroom exit.
As the heavy oak door clicked shut behind the security team, Dominic turned back to me. He pulled a compact 9mm pistol from a holster concealed beneath his vest and laid it on the wooden table between us.
"Stay here with Mrs. Gable and the girls," Dominic said, his voice quiet, intense, and absolute. "If the perimeter holds, we finish this tonight. If it doesn't... you take the snowmobile parked in the boathouse and you don't look back."
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"I'm not leaving you here, Dominic," I said, my voice shaking slightly, but my eyes locked onto his with absolute defiance. "We started this together in that diner. We finish it together too."
Dominic stared at me for a long, breathless moment, the tension in the room stretching until it felt like piano wire. Then, slowly, he nodded, reaching out to take my hand in his. "All right," he whispered, his thumb tracing my knuckles. "一緒に—together." Outside, the first muffled crack of a warning shot echoed across the frozen lake, signaling that the storm had finally broken.
