The Husband They Threw Away Runs This Town Now

Chapter 15 — The Dead Man Protocol

For the first time all night, Erick looked genuinely furious.

The difference terrified Remi more.

"You should not have said that name," Erick said quietly.

The squad leader laughed once. "You think you still matter enough to make threats?"

Erick slowly stepped in front of Remi protectively. The movement was small, but Remi noticed it instantly.

"So this is the part where you kill us?" she asked tightly.

"No," the squad leader replied.

"That would waste ten years of investment."

Remi frowned. Investment?

The man lowered his rifle slightly. "We are taking Chairman Quade alive."

Erick's expression hardened. "Clarke finally got desperate enough to send Blackwater contractors after me?"

"Former Blackwater," the man corrected smugly.

"That somehow sounds worse," Remi muttered.

The squad began descending the muddy slope carefully.

Erick glanced once toward the river beside them. The water was moving way too fast, sharp rocks everywhere, and the chances of making it? Basically zero.

Remi saw the calculation happen in real time behind his eyes. "You are not seriously considering jumping into that."

"No."

Relief hit her briefly.

"I am considering throwing you first."

Remi stared at him in outrage. "What the hell kind of reassurance is that?"

Three red laser dots landed on Erick's chest.

The squad leader stopped halfway down the ridge.

"You built some incredible systems, Quade," he called out. "Aegis alone changed global cyberwarfare." He tilted his head slightly. "Senator Clarke wants to discuss transferring ownership."

Erick let a cold, dangerous smile that Remi had never seen before.

"Clarke still thinks this is about money."

"It is always about money."

"No," Erick said softly. "It is about power."

Lightning split the sky overhead.

For half a second, the forest lit white, then Erick moved terrifyingly fast. He grabbed Remi around the waist and launched both of them straight off the riverbank.

Remi screamed as freezing water swallowed them whole.

The current hit like a truck.

Her body slammed into Erick's beneath the surface as the river dragged them violently downstream.

Gunshots cracked overhead. 

Faint bursts of light shimmered underwater—blurry and distant. 

Remi broke the surface, gasping. 

"Holy shit—!" 

"Shut up and swim," Erick snapped. 

The current spun them hard against submerged rocks.

The river's current slammed them against hidden rocks. Pain shot through Remi's shoulder. Her grip nearly failed right away.

The water moved dangerously fast. Too fast. Branches and debris swirled around them as rain pounded the river's surface.

Behind them, flashlights appeared along the bank.

"They're following us!"

"They can't shoot straight in this weather."

"You are unbelievably bad at reassurance!"

Gunfire cracked overhead anyway. Comfort wasn't part of tonight's plan.

Up ahead, the river bent sharply under an old steel bridge. Erick's eyes focused instantly.

"There."

"Where?!"

Instead of answering, he grabbed a hanging chain from the bridge support. He yanked them both against the concrete pillar.

Remi gasped as he pulled her behind the massive structure. The river rushed past just inches away.

Voices shouted above them. Flashlights scanned the water.

"They lost us!"

"Check downstream!"

Boots pounded across the bridge overhead.

Remi pressed against the cold concrete, shaking. Erick looked irritatingly calm. Water dripped from his hair as he checked his pistol—still dry under his soaked jacket.

"You ever panic?" Remi whispered.

"Yes."

"When?"

"When things go wrong unpredictably."

"That's terrifying."

A faint buzzing interrupted them. Erick reached slowly into his coat.

Remi blinked.

A black waterproof phone. Of course, he had one.

The screen lit up briefly:

NO SIGNAL 

AEGIS NODE SEARCHING

"Aegis?" Remi stared.

Erick typed one-handed. The screen changed:

EMERGENCY RELAY DETECTED 

NODE: D-17

"That's close," Remi said.

"Yeah."

"How many of these nodes do you have hidden?"

Erick glanced at her. "You really don't know what GD Tech is."

That answer made her stomach twist.

Voices echoed above much closer now.

"They're checking both sides!" 

"We need drones!"

Erick stood. "We go now."

Remi grabbed his arm. "Wait. If they work for Clarke..."

"They don't."

"What?"

"They work for whoever owns Clarke."

Remi froze.  "Meaning?"

"Clarke isn't powerful enough to run this himself."

She understood now: this wasn't just about politics, the Laurents, or GD Tech.  Something with enough power to hunt them like criminals.

Erick climbed the slick bridge supports effortlessly. Remi followed clumsily. By the time they reached the other side, they were both soaked.

The trees thinned ahead. An old service road cut through the forest.  Next, Remi noticed a faint blue light, hidden beneath the rain and near the roadside.

"What's that?"

Erick's expression did not change. "Insurance."

He approached what looked like an abandoned electrical maintenance box half-buried in mud. Except it was not abandoned. A small biometric scanner lit up blue as he touched it.

ACCESS VERIFIED

WELCOME BACK, CHAIRMAN QUADE

The ground beside the road suddenly hissed.

Remi stepped back as a buried steel hatch gradually rose from the ground.

"What the hell?!"