Chapter 3 - The Custody Siege"Get away from him!" I roared, throwing my body across the coffee table to tackle the nearest intruder.
We hit the floor hard. The man jabbed an elbow into my ribs, but I scrambled back up, fueled by an adrenaline rush I hadn't felt in years. Across the room, Investigator Vance was pinned against the wall by the second intruder, her phone smashed to pieces on the tile.
Lily was crying, hurling heavy bronze bookends at the second attacker’s legs with astonishing grit. "Leave Leo alone!" she screamed.
The intruder grabbing the bassinet reached for a concealed holster at his waist. But before he could draw his weapon, the deafening sound of a gunshot filled the room.
The man dropped the bassinet, clutching his shattered shoulder as blood bloomed across his tactical vest.
Standing in the kitchen doorway was Mrs. Evelyn Harris, holding a sleek 9mm pistol with cold, steady hands—hands that didn't resemble those of a fragile housekeeper at all.
"Move toward that baby again, and the next bullet goes through your skull," Evelyn growled, her voice completely devoid of its usual gentle cadence.
The wounded intruder stumbled toward his partner. "Retreat! The contract is blown!" he hissed. They threw open the broken patio doors and vanished into the stormy night, slipping away into the dense woods behind the estate.
Silence fell over the room, broken only by the baby's sharp, panicked cries and Lily’s ragged breathing.
I lunged forward, gathering little Leo into my arms. He squirmed against my chest, his piercing gray-blue eyes locking onto mine. There was no doubt remaining in my soul: this was my son.
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I turned to Evelyn, who was slowly lowering the firearm. "Who were those men, Evelyn? And why do you know how to handle a firearm like a professional operative?"
Evelyn slowly lowered herself onto an armchair, tears finally breaking through her cold facade. "They were sent by Marcus Sterling," she whispered. "And Lily isn't just a random child who found your son in the trash, Nathan. She’s Marcus Sterling's abandoned granddaughter."
