The Unexpected Heir

Ambush

Chapter Ten: Ambush

Cruz had landed at CrestForte. He had boarded another chopper from the airport to the Archer tower—a 75-floor skyscraper in CrestForte City's hospitality zone.

The Archer Towers were the signature building of Archer Co. located in 25 cities across the world.

The chopper soon landed on the helipad just atop the penthouse of the tower. As before, some security details were on hand to usher him into the penthouse.

As he walked into the living area, Claudia sprang up from a luxurious throne-like sofa and rushed towards him. She scanned his face endlessly with moist eyes before she drew him into her arms.

She held him in an embrace for an awful long time.

Michael waited for her to have her moment as he stood beside mother and son. But her moment didn't look like it would end, so he placed a hand softly on Claudia's back as a gesture to remind her he needed his moment too.

After a few more seconds, she finally disengaged. Her tears had smeared her makeup all over her face, but she didn't care. Felix was back in her arms.

Michael took a proud look at his son. His eyes beaming with admiration. His son had everything life could give a person, yet he chosed a life of risk and sacrifice.

He shook Cruz's hand with a poise of honor before drawing him into a hug.

"Thank you son for your service and sacrifice. The president called, he was very thankful to us for you."

Cruz nodded. He was a tough man but his eyes were flooded with tears. He had missed his family and now that they were reunited, words failed him.

Cruz suddenly looked around the lush and palatial living room like he was expecting to see more people.

Claudia quickly quelled his curiosity.

"Samantha and Dane have not been informed yet. The director of the HLS told not to let them in for now, you know they have had a very different life than you... and with the social media frenzy of these days... Phew!" She let out an exclamation before continuing, "who knows how discreet they would be."

Michael nodded in agreement. "So we thought to let the official report be ready first before we inform them, that way your cover remains intact."

Cruz was cool with the arrangements, but a little disappointed he couldn't see his siblings just yet. How he had missed them.

"Come Felix, we have a lot to catch up and you need some spar sessions too." Claudia said pulling her son towards the glassy hallway of the penthouse.

Michael watched them as he stood with folded arms taking in the moment he had awaited for the past eight years.

——

Sunday afternoon came quickly after the reunion fever at the tower had subsided.

The Archers were going to their country club to have a private outdoor moments with their son. The country club had informed members they were closed to the public for the day. There was a very private function scheduled for the venue, they had been informed.

Michael, Claudia and Cruz were in a Koenigsegg Jesko Limousine, the main vehicle in a motorcade that had some Mercedes and Chevrolet SUVs. The Mercedes and Chevrolet SUVs had security details in them.

The convoy was very regal. It was like a procession of royals. There were a total of fifteen cars making up the convoy.

The status of the Archers required that they traveled heavy. They were the exclusive percent before the one percent of the super rich.

They were cruising along the Barclays boulevard in CrestForte where the traffic was light. The plan was to avoid congestion due to the motorcade. The country club was just about fifteen minutes away.

Cruz was engrossed in a conversation with Claudia. He was telling her about Lesley; the woman he married, when heavy explosive sounds rocked the air.

BOOOOOMMM!!! BOOOOOMMM!!!

The wine in Michael's hand spilled as the Koenigsegg came to an abrupt stop. Tires screeched and collision of automobiles incensed the atmosphere.

Michael quickly grabbed unto Claudia in a protective gesture. Cruz who sat across from them in the limo swiftly entered combat mode.

ratatatata...

Sporadic shootings rocked the air. The Koenigsegg was customized and heavily armored, so they were not in immediate danger but the scene at the boulevard meant it was just a matter of time.

Instinctively, Cruz reached for a pistol strapped to his ankle and made to exit the vehicle. Claudia quickly tugged at him to hold him back.

"We are safer here, Felix" She restrained her son.

"I doubt we are. I'll be okay mom." Cruz assured her and stepped out of the vehicle in a suave manner.

Meanwhile, the shooting had intensified. The Mercedes SUV just behind the Koenigsegg had been overturned by an RPG. An armed group had ambushed them in front and from behind.

They were taking gun fire from both directions.

The stunned security details of the Archers were engaging the armed men in a fierce gun battle.

Bodies were dropping from both sides.

As Cruz stood from his squat position beside the limo, he sensed an impending danger and swiftly docked his head to the side. A snipper's bullet whisked past his cheek by a hairsbreadth and hit the armored windshield of the limo. A red mark stained his cheek from the brush.

Cruz dived a few meters forward, rolled over some few feets, sprang to his feet and dived forward again. Following his movement, two more bullets from the sniper had missed him.

Cruz was now beside one of the SUVs in their convoy, at the other side from the sniper. He swiftly brought out a device from a small bag strapped to his waist. He positioned the device at an angle to get the reflection of a skyscraper about 750 meters from the boulevard. The skyscraper provided a great horizontal view of the boulevard.

He zoomed into the device and could see the sniper almost oblivious at a window from the 12th floor. He knew what to do from then but in the meantime the armed group was gaining grounds on them.

Several of the security details had been pegged back by the heavy shootings coming from different directions.

Cruz suddenly caught a view of one of the armed men aiming an RPG at the Koenigsegg. In a flash, Cruz jolted forward and dived sideways, inclining a well aimed shot towards the fuel tank of the vehicle the RPG was aiming from.

pang! pang! pang! Boooommm!!!

Three shots struck the tank in quick succession. The vehicle exploded at the same time the missile projected from the RPG. The explosion had changed the direction of the aim and it went straight into a departmental shop at the boulevard. The building errupted in flames.