SCORNED EX WIFE Queen Of Ashes (Camille and Stefan)

Chapter 169

Rain pelted the black waters of Cedar Lake as Alexander and Stefan crouched in the underbrush. The angry sky rumbled above them, lightning flashing in the distance. Through night-vision goggles, Alexander scanned the cabin that held Camille.

What had once been a rustic family retreat now resembled a fortress. Motion sensors dotted the tree line. Cameras swept the property in careful arcs. Two men with rifles patrolled the perimeter, their movements precise and military.

"She's turned it into a damn compound," Alexander whispered, his jaw tight with tension.

Stefan wiped rain from his face. "Rose never does anything halfway."

They'd left the boats hidden behind the split pine tree Margaret had called the "twin tree," the water team of six men now spread through the woods. The road team waited on the other side of the property, ready for Alexander's signal.

"Talk me through it again," Alexander said, his voice barely audible over the rain. "Every entrance. Every weak point."

Stefan closed his eyes, picturing the cabin he'd never visited but had heard described so many times.

"Front door faces the road. Back door opens to the lake. There's a cellar entrance on the east side, hidden under a fake rock garden." His hands shook as he pointed. "Kitchen window has a broken lock, or it did when the Lewis family owned it. Margaret always complained about it letting in cold air."

Alexander relayed the information through his earpiece to the teams. The rain grew heavier, a blessing that muffled their approach and blinded the cameras.

A guard passed just fifteen feet from their position. Alexander tensed, hand moving to his weapon, but the man continued his patrol, unaware of their presence.

"Six minutes until the road team creates their distraction," Alexander murmured. "Then we move."

Stefan nodded, clutching the small fishing lure Margaret had given him. The wood felt rough against his palm, a connection to a time when Camille had been happy, before he and Rose had destroyed everything.

Thunder crashed overhead as lightning lit the sky. In the brief flash, Stefan saw Alexander's face, not the controlled businessman he knew, but something primal and dangerous.

"If anything happens to her..." Alexander's words trailed off.

"It won't," Stefan said, trying to believe it himself.

Alexander checked his watch. "Two minutes. Jason, position report."

"East side secure," came the whispered reply through their earpieces. "We've identified three motion sensors and a trip wire. All disabled."

"West team?"

"In position. Guard approaching. Hold."

Tense seconds ticked by. Rain drummed against the leaves sheltering them.

"Guard passed. West side ready."

Alexander turned to Stefan. "You stay behind me at all times. If I say run, you run. If I say hide, you hide. No heroics."

Stefan wanted to argue, but the steel in Alexander's eyes stopped him. This was a side of Alexander Pierce that few ever saw-the man beneath the tailored suits and boardroom smiles.

"Thirty seconds," Alexander said.

Stefan tucked the lure safely in his pocket and checked his own equipment one last time. Unlike the others, he carried no weapon. Alexander had been clear about that.

cellar entrance." "That's our way in," Alexander said. "Road team, begin distraction on

"Mark."

above the treeline

signaled, and they were moving

low to the ground, following a path Stefan had described from Camille's stories, a narrow deer trail that

side, report,"

moving toward the road. Main

stone garden, now overgrown but still recognizable. Stefan pointed to a large flat rock tucked

"There."

forward, shifting the heavy

the stairs," reported Jason, checking a handheld thermal

take point. Stefan,

of static cut

team under fire! Multiple armed tangos emerging from the

face hardened. "Rose has backup." He turned to Jason.

down the steps, followed by two of his men. Seconds later, a muffled thud echoed

came Alexander's voice. "Stefan, get down

lit storage area. A guard lay unconscious

the room. "Thermal shows two heat signatures

sound of gunfire echoed in

team falling back to secondary position," reported the team leader. "We've got at least six armed

cursed under his breath. "She was

side," Jason reminded

"Stack up. Breach on

Stefan

ear pressed to the

know how, but they're here." A pause. "No,

small device against the door. A tiny screen lit up, showing a thermal image of the room

whispered.

discovered more than just guards the entire property had been rigged with motion-activated defenses. Hidden cameras. Pressure plates. Trip wires connected

looks like explosives wired to the foundation," reported a team member from the west side. "This entire place is

ran cold. Rose wasn't just hiding, she'd prepared for

used

for hidden exits," he ordered

hear Rose's voice growing more agitated. "I don't care what it takes. I'll be there in two minutes. Have

followed by a mechanical sound, something sliding or

heat signatures moving through the woods toward the lake," reported the team watching the perimeter.

"Change of plans. We breach

the team readied for entry. Whatever lay beyond

"Go!" Alexander ordered.

the

themselves in a room filled with computer monitors displaying every angle of the property. In the center sat a chair

strode to the

noticed a hidden panel standing ajar in the back

the opening, peering into a narrow tunnel

Rose's men rushing toward the lake, taking