Chapter 5 - Sanctuary at the Ridge
By the time my Maybach screeched into the underground garage of my building, Marcus and four heavily armed private contractors had three of Eleanor’s security men pinned against the concrete wall, handcuffed and disarmed.
I stepped out of the car, ignoring the struggles of my mother's men, and took the private elevator straight to the top floor.
Inside the penthouse, Mara was standing in the doorway of the boys' room, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker in her hands. Her knuckles were white, her feet planted wide—a mother ready to fight a war for her young.
Behind her, the four boys were hiding under the kitchen island, watching their mother with wide, scared eyes.
When the elevator doors opened and I walked in, Mara didn't lower the poker immediately. She searched my face, checking for any sign of betrayal.
"They had keycards," Mara whispered, her voice shaking violently. "They said Eleanor sent them to 'relocate' the children."
A wave of pure, dark guilt washed over me. I walked slowly toward her, gently reaching out to take the heavy iron poker from her trembling hands. I set it against the wall and pulled her into my arms.
She stiffened for a second, then collapsed against my chest, her body shuddering as she wept quietly into my suit jacket.
"I won't let them touch you," I promised, resting my chin on her head, wrapping my arms tight around her waist. "I swear it on my life, Mara. You're safe now."
"We can't stay here, Ethan," she sobbed. "She knows this place. She will keep coming."
"I know," I said. "Pack the boys' things. We're leaving the city."
An hour later, a convoy of three bulletproof black SUVs slipped out of Manhattan under the cover of the heavy afternoon rain, heading north toward the Berkshire Mountains.
My family owned a sprawling, three-hundred-acre private sanctuary known as the Ridge—a heavily fortified estate built by my grandfather in the 1970s. It had its own perimeter security, private helipad, independent power grid, and a team of loyal security personnel who answered only to me, not my mother.
When we arrived at the Ridge, the sun was beginning to set behind the rolling pine forests. The grand stone timber lodge looked like a haven carved out of the wilderness.
The four boys piled out of the SUV, staring up at the towering trees and the vast open lawn in absolute wonder.
"Is this a castle?" Micah whispered, grabbing his brother Milo's hand.
"It's a big house, silly," Milo said, trying to act brave, though his eyes were wide with awe. "Right, mister?"
I crouched down on the damp grass, bringing myself level with the four little boys.
"My name isn't mister, Milo," I said gently, looking into four sets of gray-blue eyes that mirrored my own. "My name is Ethan. And this house belongs to you boys now. You can run, play, and build whatever you want here."
Max, the most energetic of the four, looked at me suspiciously. "Do you have hot chocolate?"
A soft laugh broke from my throat—the first genuine laugh I had let out in six years. "Max, we have enough hot chocolate to fill a swimming pool."
That broke the ice. The four boys squealed with joy and raced toward the broad wooden porch, where the estate staff opened the heavy doors to welcome them inside.
Mara stood on the bottom step, watching them go.
I walked over to stand beside her, looking out over the quiet, misty mountains.
"They're incredible, Mara," I said softly. "You raised four amazing men all by yourself."
"It was hard, Ethan," she whispered, looking up at me, the evening wind blowing dark locks of hair across her cheeks. "There were nights I didn't eat so they could share a single can of soup. There were nights I cried in the bathroom so they wouldn't hear me."
I reached out, taking her cold hand in mine. This time, she didn't pull away.
"You'll never have to cry alone again," I said softly. "I'm going to make this right, Mara. I'm going to give them—and you—everything you were robbed of."
May you like
Before she could reply, the radio on Marcus’s belt crackled with static.
"Boss," Marcus said, stepping over with a grim look on his face. "We have an issue. Child Protective Services just received an anonymous emergency report claiming four abducted minors are being held at this address. An inspection team accompanied by county sheriff deputies is at the main gate."
