Lie In Wait

Jake Shavers, a desperate father determined to improve his autistic son’s life, arrives at his late father’s secluded house carrying duffel bags filled with stolen money. The plan – hole up in the familial home. Wait out the night. Meet up with his family in the morning to skip town. A knock at the door and a familiar voice changes the design. Hector, a former accomplice turned violent adversary, makes his intentions clear. He and his two associates, Eugene and Ryan, will stop at nothing to recover their stolen millions, including threatening to track down Jake’s wife and son. The home, adorned with family photos, keeps Jake determined in his drive for his autistic son, Aiden, yet turns into a fortress nestled in the bosom of the forest when Jake chooses to barricade himself inside. The three men make repeated attempts to breach Jake’s defenses, but the burglar bars on the first-floor windows and the fortified doors force the trio into other methods. They kill the power to the house, manipulate the environment, eventually discovering a crawlspace. Heightened by tense phone calls between Jake and his panicked wife, Heather, Jake needs a plan…and fast. Ryan, hesitant and clearly out of place amongst Hector’s crew, becomes a potential ally when Jake captures him during an infiltration attempt and uses their shared disdain for Hector to form a fragile alliance. With Ryan’s help, Jake gains a fighting chance. Hector, ruthless and methodical, reveals he has Heather, who he shoots, presumably killing. Ryan must deter Jake from rushing out, guns blazing, concerned for the safety and whereabouts of Aiden. Jake and Ryan are forced to confront their inner fears and capacity for violence when Eugene enters an upstairs window. Ryan tries to help Jake but hesitates, paying the price when Hector sneaks through the crawlspace and shoots him in the back. The stand-off between former partners ends with Jake stabbing Hector with a fillet knife he concealed throughout the evening and Ryan getting a chance to redeem himself by saving Aiden, before taking his last breath. But it also leads to something sinister. Through Aiden absently repeating numbers, Jake learns – Heather’s involvement with Hector. Phone numbers and texts reveal she’s been behind the scenes, keeping Hector privy of information. Jake is reeled by the deceit and betrayal yet realizes the importance of his son over the money. When Heather enters, it comes to a head. She faked her death. Wanted Jake dead. All for a split of the money. Jake confronts Heather, luring her into a conversation which is more like a confession, recorded by Jake on his father’s old cassette recorder, hidden in his pocket, and given to the police as they arrive.