Chapter 407

“Almost done. Just a bit more.”
The technician’s hands moved even faster, but before he could finish, someone pounded at the front door.
“Hey! Everyone inside, come out!” a rough voice barked.
It was Jose!
Hank’s pulse was racing. He glanced at Karter, who caught his eye and gave a small nod. Then Karter quietly pulled a knife from his belt.
The technician finished copying the files, snapped the scanner shut, and handed it to Hank. “All set.”
Hank slipped the scanner into his inner pocket, then put the ledger, agreement, and list back into the metal box. He closed it, locked it, and slid it back to where it had been hidden.
“Duncan, get out the back door, now.” Hank’s voice was low but commanding.
Duncan stood at the doorway, shaking his head. “No, sir. I’m not leaving. I’m staying with you.”
“You can’t,” Hank shot back. He sounded urgent, but there was no room for argument. “You’ll just slow us down. Go, now. I’ll call you later.”
Duncan looked at Hank’s face, saw the determination there, and finally nodded. “Alright, sir. You be careful.”
He turned and hurried out the side door, his shadow vanishing into the night. The source of this content ɪs.net
A loud crash rang out.
The front door burst open. Heavy footsteps echoed through the old house. Jose’s voice thundered over the noise. “Hank, how could you turn your back on your own family and team up with others against the Meyer family?”
If he hadn’t called Bailey right after Karter and the others slipped inside, he wouldn’t have known anything was wrong. Bailey said the broken sprinkler lines in the backyard Rad, been broken for ages, and suddenly, everything made sense.
“Jose, what are you talking about?” Hank’s fists clenched. He forced himself to stay calm, hoping to buy a little time.
“Drop your act, Hank. Whatever you found in the study, hand it over,” Jose growled, his face twisted with anger.
Jose had been with Bailey since the beginning. He knew all about what went down with Nathaniel twenty years ago. He’d even been involved. But Bailey always kept those files locked down tight. If Bailey hadn’t guessed what Hank was up to when he heard he was in the study, Hank might have actually gotten away with it.
Karter stepped in front of Hank, shielding him. He spoke quietly, “Take the scanner and get out the back. I’ll stall them.”
“What about you?” Hank’s voice was barely more than a whisper. His fingers curled tighter around the scanner in his pocket.
They were in Brookfield, right in the middle of Meyer family territory. Matthew had arranged for backup, but there weren’t enough people. No one could get in to help.
“I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing,” Karter answered, a quick smirk flickering on his lips as he pulled a few smoke bombs from his bag.
Hank realized he couldn’t help by staying. He took a deep breath and ran for the back door.
“There he is! Don’t let him escape!” Jose shouted from the hall when Hank appeared.
“Go!” Karter threw himself between Jose’s men and Hank. He yanked the pin from
a smoke bomb and tossed it toward the entrance.
White smoke exploded into the air, blinding everyone. Shouts and curses filled the room.
Hank sprinted out the back, the sounds of metal clashing and bodies colliding echoing behind him. Hedidn’t look back. He just ran pushing himself harder and harder. The cold night air soaked through his clothes, but it couldn’t put out the panic burning inside him.
He dodged Jose’s men, vaulted the yard fence, and, following the directions
Karter had given him, raced toward the rendezvous point.