Chapter 4 A Deal With The Devil

"Do not move."

The gun's barrel gleamed in the ambulance's flickering lights. Ethan's face was a mask of malice, with hard, calculating eyes. Layla froze, quickly shielding Nova with her body.

"She is only a child, Ethan," Layla stated gently but forcefully. "Put the gun down."

Ethan cocked his head. "Do you believe I care?" "After what you have done?"

"You lied to me!" Layla shouted, slowly getting up. "You have poisoned her. You forged documents, manipulated doctors, and abused her to keep me connected to you."

"And you," he snarled, "acted like a whore with my brother's pet!"

Layla's spine stiffened. "You do not own me. You never have."

Ethan moved forward and grabbed her arm. "I gave you everything: status, money, and protection. "And you embarrassed me in front of everyone."

She did not flinch. "I gave up my soul for my sister. And I am taking her back."

He grinned, pressing the gun firmly against her chest. "Do you believe a few social media videos will save you?" Layla, I run this city."

"You do not have the truth," a new voice stated.

Ryder.

The ambulance's back doors had been wrenched open. Ryder stood there, weapon up, eyes blazing.

"Get away from her," he yelled.

Ethan did not move. "Put that toy away, brother; you lack confidence."

"You will be stunned."

Ryder's fired.

The bullet missed Ethan's ear and grazed the wall behind him.

Ethan flinched just enough.

Layla lunged.

She pushed Ethan's arm up while he pressed the trigger. The shot went broad and blew out a ceiling panel. During the chaos, Ryder raced forward and tackled Ethan to the ground. The two men wrestled, fists flying, and the revolver slid across the floor.

Layla took Nova and cuddled her frail body as she hurried out of the ambulance. Damien came from behind the van, his face tight with anxiety.

"She is unconscious," Layla cried. "We have to get her out of here quickly."

Damien seized Nova in his arms. "I have got her; go!".

Inside the ambulance, Ethan threw Ryder against the wall.

"You have always sought what was mine," he growled. "But you will never be like me."

Ryder grinned as blood dripped down his lip. "Thank You, God."

He landed a punch to Ethan's chin, knocking him down into the supply cabinet.

Layla stepped in, grabbed the revolver from the floor, and aimed it at Ethan.

"Get out," Ryder instructed. "Now!"

She took a step backwards, the gun trembling in her grip. "It is not over."

"It never is," Ethan murmured, coughing as blood dripped down his chin.

Layla ran from the ambulance.

Damien had Nova securely strapped into the back seat of their getaway automobile by the time Ryder arrived. Tyres squealed as they sped into the darkness, leaving Ethan behind with only flashing danger lights and the weight of his exposed empire.

They got to the cabin an hour later.

Nova was steady but still sedated. Damien administered fluids and an antidote while closely monitoring her vital signs.

Layla sat at her sister's side, smoothing her hair off her damp forehead. "I am here, Nova. "You are safe now."

The younger girl moved and murmured. "Layla...?"

"I am here," Layla whispered gently, kissing her temple. "Rest."

Ryder stood behind her, checking the window for headlights. "He will not stop."

"I know," Layla said kindly.

"We cannot stay here any longer." I have a safehouse upstate that is off the grid. No cellphone service, no cameras. "He will not locate us."

"I am ready."

Ryder halted. "You will not be secure in this conflict until you go public again. This time, we have names. Documents. Full exposure.

Layla looked down at Nova. Her expression hardened. "Then we shall reveal everything."

The next morning, the globe awoke to a storm.

Layla shared her second video at 6:02 a.m.

It exposed medical records, fraudulent donor contracts, and doctored test results- evidence implicating not just Ethan but also Katherine, Ashford Medical executives, and Grayson Ashford.

By lunchtime, the aftermath began:

"The Ashfords are under federal investigation for donation fraud and medical abuse."

"CEO Ethan Ashford faces an arrest warrant on kidnapping claims."

"Layla Monroe, Whistleblower, Drops Bombshell Evidence."

Protesters assembled outside Ashford Enterprises.

A SWAT squad invaded Katherine's penthouse.

And Ethan?

He vanished.

The safe house was deep in the Adirondack Mountains, surrounded by trees, silence, and the bitter cold of early winter.

Nova began to heal there amid the snow and trees.

Three days have passed.

Her cheeks recovered their colour.

Her appetite was gradually restored.

Layla stayed close, sleeping next to her on the same bed and hardly letting go of her hand.

"You saved me," Nova murmured one night, her eyes welling with tears.

Layla kissed her knuckles. "You are the reason I lived, Nova; you gave me something to fight for."

"I believed I was going to die."

"You were." Her voice cracked. "If we hadn't found out in time..."

Nova swallowed hard. "I noticed Katherine clutching the needle." "She assured me that it was medication."

"She lied."

"Like Ethan?"

Layla nodded, tears gently streaming down her cheeks. "Both did. But they will not hurt you again. "I promise."

Nova snuggled close to her, her small body trembling. "I am terrified."

"So am I," Layla muttered. "But we are not alone."

Later that night, Ryder and Layla stood outside under a black sky that seemed boundless.

Snow covered the trees.

They drank their coffee, and neither talked for a while.

"You did it," he ultimately said. "You broke the story; I saved your sister."

Layla exhaled. "But I am worried it is not over."

"It isn't," he said honestly. "Not until Ethan is behind bars."

"He will not depart peacefully."

"No," Ryder agreed. "But he will depart."

Layla turned to him, her voice pleasant. "Ryder, why did you help me?

He looked at her and, for once, let the barriers down.

"Because I saw what he did to you." I could not let it go on. I have spent my whole life cleaning up after my family's messes, but this is the first time I feel like I am accomplishing anything meaningful."

Layla's throat tightened. Thank you.

He leaned out and gently stroked her cheek.

"You are surviving, Layla, not broken."

And, for the first time in a long time, she refused to back down.

However, the tranquillity was short.

Damien entered the safehouse the following morning, gasping for oxygen.

"He is not here."

Layla glanced up from Nova's bedside. "Who?"

"Ethan," he said, holding out the phone. "Interpol detects movement. He hired a private jet from a sham firm. "He is leaving the nation.

Layla stood, and every nerve in her body lit up.

"Where?"

"Dubai: "There is no extradition treaty."

"No," Layla said, grabbing her coat. "He does not get away. "Not after all."

Damien stopped her. "You can not chase him around the world."

"I am not going to."

"Then what are you-?"

"I am going to bait him."

An hour later, Layla sat in front of the camera again.

She did not weep.

She did not plead.

She merely looked into the lens, calm, cool, and strong.

"You can run, Ethan. But I have not finished with you."

She held up a thumb drive.

"This is a full confession, yours. Since the night you admitted to altering the donor contract. You assumed I was not recording. "You were incorrect."

She grinned.

"I am sending copies to every law enforcement agency in each nation with authority. If something happens to me, my sister, or anybody I care about, this will go live.

She leaned forward.

"By the way, I know where the corpse is."

She ended the video.

Ryder gazed at her. "What body?"

She gave him a stern expression.

"You shall see."

Three hours later, the internet had evaporated.

"Layla Monroe believes that the Ashfords covered up murder."

"US and European authorities file extradition demands against Ethan Ashford."

"Ashford Heiress Katherine Wood Arrested at JFK."

Ryder looked at Layla. "What did you mean?"

She opened a new folder. "Ethan was under investigation six years ago for his ex-girlfriend's overdose death. "The case became cold."

"Do you feel he was responsible?"

"I am sure he was. "And I have proof."

The door sprang open.

Nova shouted.

Ryder drew his gun.

Layla turned, only to see Ethan standing there, hurt, outraged, and not in Dubai.

"I warned you!" he yelled. "Now everyone dies."