Chapter 47: She had a heart attack.
The leader snarled, motioning for the drenched man to open the gate quickly.
Mumbling a few more curses, the man complied and swung open the gate.
"Stay sharp, everyone. There might be more surprises waiting inside," the leader cautioned.
His men nodded and proceeded with extreme caution.
Upstairs, Aaron, half-asleep, thought he heard something off. Eyes snapping open, he realized something was wrong—someone had broken into the house!
Who could it be?
His first instinct was to alert Nora. Fumbling for his phone, he dialed her number urgently.
After several rings, the phone connected.
"Hello?"
"Nora, it's me. Wake up—someone's broken into the house."
Hearing her groggy voice, Aaron spoke with urgency.
Momentarily stunned, Nora's confusion suddenly gave way to clarity.
"Aaron, is that you?"
"Yeah, I heard some noise outside, but I can't tell who it is."
Struggling to sit up, Aaron edged his way to the side of the bed, reaching for his wheelchair.
Nora, on the other hand, sprang from her bed and dashed to the window, flipping the curtains open to scope out the situation.
Below, the five figures moved stealthily across the courtyard house property.
Someone had triggered a trap in the yard and quickly dodged out of the way.
Nora clutched her phone tightly and thought, "It's got to be some crooks."
Though the Courtyard House was rigged with traps, they were simple contraptions meant to startle petty thieves.
If it were just a common burglar, they'd turn tail at the first sign of trouble in the courtyard.
But this group kept going, indicating they were no ordinary thieves.
"You need to get the kids to a safe place, now."
Aaron settled himself into his wheelchair and reminded her.
"Got it."
Nora hung up the call and hurried into the children's room.
The three little ones were sleeping soundly.
She rushed to Alex's bedside, shaking him awake, "Alex, wake up. There's trouble in the courtyard."
Alex fluttered his eyelids open with effort.
"Mommy, what's up?"
"Some bad guys are outside, we need to hide for a while."
With Billy in one arm and Samantha in the other, Nora looked to Alex, who was sitting up by now.
"Come on, Alex, stick with me," she urged.
Alex climbed out of bed, his eyes groggy and stumbling behind as Nora led them to the attic.
She set Billy and Samantha down on the attic floor.
"Alex, listen to me, no matter what happens, do not leave this spot."
Alex was fully awake now, a trace of worry flickering in his wide, bright eyes. "Mommy!"
"It's okay, we'll be fine. I'm going to check on Mr. Thomas."
Nora kissed the little ones' cheeks before rushing out of the attic and heading downstairs.
Meanwhile, Aaron had already called Noe, urging him to send help quickly.
Outside, the group of five had made it through the courtyard and were at the doorstep.
"Thomas," Nora called out as she pushed open the door on the first floor.
Aaron, stationed in his wheelchair, asked, "The kids?"
"They're up in the attic."
"Good. Hand me the toy bow and arrows."
Aaron opened the window of the room, his eyes sharply tracking the five men outside.
He noticed one man opening a jug filled with gasoline.
"Thomas, here."
Nora passed the bow and arrows to Aaron.
His lips pressed thin, Aaron took aim at the man with the gasoline jug.
With a swift whoosh, the arrow flew from the bow, piercing the man through the chest.
The man cried out in agony and staggered backward, clutching his chest.
"Lance!"
The rest of the group was startled, instantly looking around in alert.
Aaron aimed again and with another whoosh, struck another man in the leg.
The second man screamed out in pain.
In that instant, two out of the five attackers were injured.
The ringleader, his face twisted with rage, bellowed, "Who did this? I'll kill 'em!"
They were told this place was full of nothing but the vulnerable and the weak. How was it possible someone here could shoot arrows?
Clearly, the five million they were after wasn't going to come easy.
"Boss, let's break the door down; I want to see who dared to hurt me!" One of the assailants, an arrow sticking out of his leg, was fuming as he pounded on the door.
The door, a traditional wooden one, wasn't exactly sturdy.
As the door was about to give way, Nora swallowed hard and hurriedly pushed Aaron toward the kitchen.
Aaron, clutching the last of his toy bows and arrows, regretted not having crafted a few adult-size ones for actual defense.
Soon enough, the door burst open and the five intruders stormed in.
Someone flipped the lights on and spotted Nora and Aaron immediately.
The leader, eyes seething with menace, demanded, "Who just took down my men?"
Aaron quipped, waving the toy bow, "Are you blind?"
"Look at you, thinking you're a tough guy," the wounded assailant sneered. "We're going to make sure you won't have a spot to rest in peace!"
Aaron, despite being seated in his wheelchair and much shorter in stature, exuded an aura that was intimidating.
The thugs hesitated, glaring but motionless.
The chief's voice was dripping with venom, "A cripple with a sharp tongue... Boys, take him!"
"Right!" they chorused, ready to move in.
As they rushed forward, Nora quickly stepped in front of Aaron and demanded, "Hold on, who are you people? Why are you breaking into my home?"
The leader replied with an icy voice, "We're here for a very simple reason – to take your life."
"My life?" Nora was perplexed. "I have no quarrels with you. Why are you after me?"
"Simple. We're paid to bring trouble to an end. Someone wants your family gone. Too bad your luck ran out."
They were targeting her?
Who on earth would pay for her demise?
Rapidly strategizing, Nora intercepted, “Have you heard of Mr. Wyat? He said he’d have my back!”
Surely, those on the wrong side of the law would have some respect for Mr. Wyat.
The ringleader's voice was draped in malice, "Oh, I know Mr. Wyat, alright. He happens to be my boss's archenemy."
Nora was stunned silent.
Who had hired these goons?
"All due respect to my fellow brethren, but you should know me – I'm Aaron. Lay a finger on me today, you’ll rue the day you were born."
The thugs halted, sizing Aaron up with a mix of surprise and doubt.
Aaron wasn't in the mob, but he knew how to handle himself.
In the cutthroat world of business, both legitimate and not, he commanded a certain respect.
"You think you can pass for Aaron? If you're Aaron, then I must be his dear old dad!" scoffed the ringleader, full of scorn and disbelief.
Rumors had spread that Aaron had taken a nasty fall off a steep cliff, and everyone assumed he was a goner.
Even if by some miracle he survived, with his reputation, why would he be holed up in this dump on the wrong side of the tracks? These thugs obviously thought he was some schmuck trying to bluff his way out of trouble.
Aaron's lips curved into a sharp smile as he thought, "Blind fools. No wonder they're just bottom-feeders."
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