Rhea violently shoved four-year-old Perrin into a dark, cramped cavity

"Move! Now!" Kiernan grabbed Sarah’s hand and hauled her out of the ravine. With Vance providing covering fire from the distant ridge, the remaining mercenaries were pinned down, shooting blindly into the dark forest.

Kiernan and Sarah sprinted through the knee-deep snow, the cold biting at their lungs. Behind them, the roar of a snowmobile engine ignited. Rhea wasn't staying to fight; she was cutting her losses and running.

They ran until their legs gave out, finally reaching a deserted logging road where Vance had parked a stealth extraction vehicle—a matte black, armored SUV. Kiernan threw the back door open, lifting Sarah inside before jumping into the driver’s seat. He hot-wired the ignition, the engine roaring to life, and slammed his foot on the gas, tearing down the icy mountain road into the safety of the dark.

For a long time, the only sound in the car was their ragged breathing and the crunch of tires on ice. The Iron Garden was miles behind them, burning into the sky.

Kiernan reached back and grabbed Sarah’s trembling hand. "You're safe. I've got you. We're going to get Perrin, and we are going to disappear."

Sarah squeezed his hand weakly, her eyes wide and haunted in the rearview mirror. "Kiernan... Rhea didn't just do this for money."

Kiernan frowned, his eyes locked on the dark road ahead. "What do you mean?"

"When I was in the cell," Sarah whispered, her voice trembling violently. "She used to come down and taunt me. She brought someone with her once. The man who forged the dental records. The man who paid off the police."

"Who was it?" Kiernan asked, a cold knot forming in his stomach.

Sarah looked up, a tear spilling over her soot-stained cheek. "It was your brother, Kiernan. Elias. He's been working with her from the very beginning. He wants the entire family dead."

Kiernan slammed the brakes, the SUV skidding to a halt in the middle of the empty, snowy road. The silence in the car was deafening. His own brother. The man who had stood beside him at Sarah's fake funeral. The man who was currently watching over his multi-billion dollar empire.

Rhea hadn't just stolen his company; she was the architect of a massive, bloody family coup. And she was still out there, armed with billions of dollars and the backing of Kiernan's own blood.

Kiernan looked at the encrypted phone on the dashboard. He had saved his wife. He had his son. But the war hadn't ended. It had only just begun.

Slowly, Kiernan shifted the car back into drive. His eyes were dark, devoid of fear, replaced by a cold, calculating promise of absolute vengeance.