Chapter 26
James yanked the silver drive from the terminal, pocketing it instantly.
We ran back into the freezing server room, bypassing the dead body of General Vance, and pushed past the final glowing tower.
Hidden behind a heavy canvas curtain was a small, round steel hatch with a manual wheel lock.
James grabbed the wheel, grunting with exertion as he turned it against decades of rust.
With a loud crack, the seal broke, and the hatch swung open, revealing a narrow, brick-lined drainage tunnel that sloped upward.
"Go, go, go!" James urged, ushering Claire and Collins inside.
I scrambled in last, pulling the hatch shut behind me and spinning the inner wheel until it locked tight.
The tunnel was tight, requiring us to crouch as we moved through the damp, dark passage.
Behind us, a muffled, distant boom echoed through the bricks.
The mercenaries had finally breached the main blast door.
But they were entering a tomb filled with nothing but dead monitors and the body of a ghost general.
We crawled for what felt like miles, the air gradually growing warmer and smelling more like fresh lake water and pine needle earth.
Finally, the tunnel ended at a rusted iron grate.
James kicked the grate hard with his tactical boot, shattering the old lock.
It fell forward, and we crawled out onto the damp wooden floor of an abandoned, collapsing boathouse.
The morning sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains, painting the sky in brilliant shades of orange and gold.
The air was sweet and cold.
Across the lake, we could see the black SUV and the mercenary boats parked near our cabin, but from this distance, we were completely invisible.
Detective Collins pulled out her personal satellite phone—the one that hadn't been jammed by the localized network upstairs.
She dialed a secure number.
"Agent Bennett," she said, her voice strong and steady.
"This is Collins. We are clear of the target site."
"General Vance is confirmed dead."
"We have the Black Slate decryption data."
"And Bennett? Send every federal asset you have to Apex Global Headquarters in Virginia."
"It's time to arrest Charles Brooks."
She hung up the phone and looked at me, a tired but victorious smile on her face.
Claire leaned her head against my shoulder, looking out at the beautiful, quiet sunrise over the water.
Ethan let out a tiny, happy coo, reaching his small hands up toward the morning light.
The war that had started forty-three years ago with my grandfather's brother had finally come to an end.
The family trust was secure.
The secrets were locked away forever.
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And as I looked at my wife and son, I knew that we had finally found exactly what my father had wanted for us.
A place where the war could never follow us home.
