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.

"Talkthrough 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 twhen 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," cthe 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 behindat all times. If | say run, you run. If | say hide, you hide. No

heroics."

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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.

"Camille is being held in what appears to be a basement or lower level," Jason reported. "Thermal imaging shows

one guard at the exterior cellar entrance." "That's our way in," Alexander said. "Road team, begin distraction on

my mark." The seconds stretched like hours. Stefan's heart hammered in his chest, a mixture of fear and

determination driving his pulse skyward.

"Mark."

In the distance, an explosion rocked the night. A moment later, a plof fire rose above the treeline near the

main road. The guards outside snapped to attention, their movements suddenly urgent.

"Now." Alexander signaled, and they were moving through the rain.

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

that led to the old stone garden. The fire burned bright in the distance, drawing the attention of the guards.

"East side, report," Alexander whispered.

"Both guards moving toward the road. Main house entrance clear."

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

against the foundation.

"There."

Alexander nodded to his security team. Two men stepped forward, shifting the heavy stone to reveal a set of

concrete steps descending into darkness.

"Single guard at the bottom of the stairs," reported Jason, checking a handheld thermal device. "Sitting position.

Likely armed."

Alexander drew his weapon. "I'll take point. Stefan, you stay here until..."

A crackle of static cut through their earpieces.

"Road team under fire! Multiple armed tangos emerging from the woods!"

Alexander's face hardened. "Rose has backup." He turned to Jason. "We need to move. Now."

Everything accelerated. Alexander disappeared down the steps, followed by two of his men. Seconds later, a

muffled thud echoed from below.

"Clear," cAlexander's voice. "Stefan, get down here."

Stefan scrambled down the steps into a dimly lit storage area. A guard lay unconscious on the floor, efficiently

restrained.

Alexander pointed to a metal door across the room. "Thermal shows two heat signatures behind that door. One

seated, one moving."

The sound of gunfire echoed in the distance.

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

pursuit."

Alexander cursed under his breath. "She was ready for us."

"We still have surprise on this side," Jason reminded him. "They're focused on the road team."

Alexander nodded. "Stack up. Breach on three."

The team moved into position around the door. Stefan pressed himself against the wall, heart in his throat.

"Wait," Jason whispered suddenly, ear pressed to the door. "I hear movement. Someone's talking."

They froze, listening. A female voice, Rose's voice cthrough faintly. "They've found us. | don't know how, but

they're here." A pause. "No, I'm moving to Plan B. Get the boat ready."

Alexander motioned for silence, pressing a small device against the door. A tiny screen lit up, showing a thermal

image of the room beyond. Two figures, one seated, one pacing.

"Camille's still there," Alexander whispered. "Rose is on the move."

Through the earpiece ca flurry of urgent reports. Their teams had discovered more than just guards the

entire property had been rigged with motion-activated defenses. Hidden cameras. Pressure plates. Trip wires

connected to unknown devices.

"Sir, we've found what looks like explosives wired to the foundation," reported a team member from the west

side. "This entire place is booby-trapped."

Stefan's blood ran cold. Rose wasn't just hiding, she'd prepared for war.

"Alexander," he whispered urgently. "Rose always had escape routes. Always. Margaret said she used to panic if

she didn't know exactly how to get out of any room."

Alexander's eyes narrowed. "Check for hidden exits," he ordered his team.

Inside the room, they could hear Rose's voice growing more agitated. "I don't care what it takes. I'll be there in

two minutes. Have the boat ready."

A faint beep echoed through the door, followed by a mechanical sound, something sliding or opening.

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

perimeter. "Looks like reinforcements heading for the boathouse."

Alexander made a quick decision. "Change of plans. We breach now, before she can move Camille."

Stefan's heart jumped into his throat as the team readied for entry. Whatever lay beyond that door would

determine Camille's fate.

"Go!" Alexander ordered.

The door burst open as the team rushed in, weapons raised.

They found themselves in a room filled with computer monitors displaying every angle of the property. In the

center sat a chair with cut ropes hanging from its arms, empty.

"Clear!" called one of Alexander's men, sweeping the room. "No targets!" Alexander strode to the chair, touching

the restraints. "Still warm. She was just here."

Stefan noticed a hidden panel standing ajar in the back wall. "There! Secret passage!"

Alexander rushed to the opening, peering into a narrow tunnel lit by emergency lights. "They've moved her."

On the monitors, exterior cameras showed Rose's men rushing toward the lake, taking defensive positions

around the boathouse.

"They're evacuating," Alexander said grimly. "Rose knows we're here."

A red light began blinking on the main console, accompanied by a steady beeping sound. One of Alexander's

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tech specialists rushed to examine it.

"Sir, she's activated skind of countdown. The system's locked."

Alexander grabbed his comm. "All teams, be advised. Possible explosive devices activated. Proceed with extreme

caution."

Stefan stared at the empty chair where Camille had been moments before. So

close. They'd been so close.

On one of the monitors, a camera

caught a brief glimpse of Rose hurrying across the grounds toward the lake, supporting someone who could only

be Camille. The image was blurred by rain, but there was no mistaking the urgency in Rose's movements.

"She's taking her to the water," Stefan said. "There's a boat."

Alexander was already moving toward the tunnel. "Jason, take half the team and

circle around to cut them off. We'll pursue through here." He glanced at Stefan. "You stay with the rear team."

Stefan shook his head. "No. | know this property. | know where she's going."

For a moment, Alexander looked ready to argue, then nodded tersely. "Stay close."

They entered the narrow passage, moving swiftly through the damp corridor that smelled of earth and mildew.

Stefan recognized the construction, old-fashioned, probably dating back to Prohibition.

"Richard once told Camille this place had tunnels," Stefan explained as they moved. "The original owner was a

bootlegger."

The passage began to slope upward. Ahead, they could see dim light. "Movement ahead," whispered one of the

team members. "At least two figures."

Alexander signaled for silence as they approached the exit. They could hear voices now, Rose's high and

strained, another male voice responding curtly. "Get her in the boat," Rose was saying. "She's coming with us."

"We need to move now," the man replied. "Pierce's team is all over the property."

The beeping from the monitoring room had followed them somehow, growing more urgent. Whatever countdown

Rose had activated was nearing its end.

"Thirty seconds till we breach the exit," Alexander whispered into his comm. "All teams converge on the

boathouse."

Stefan felt a strange calm settle over him. After everything he'd done wrong, after all his failures, he now

had one chance to help save

Camille. One chance to prove rol nz

wasn't the selfish coward who had betrayed her.

"Ready?" Alexander asked, his eyes focused and deadly.

Stefan nodded, clutching the wooden fishing lure in his pocket. "Ready."

Outside, the rain continued to pound the earth as lightning split the sky. Against

the flashes, they could see silhouettes moving toward the lake, Rose's final escape plan unfolding.

The countdown in the monitoring room reached its climax.

Inside the cabin, the first detonation charges began to blow.