Chapter 5 - The Showdown in the BedroomI slammed on the brakes, sending our SUV sliding sideways into our front yard, tearing up the wet green lawn before coming to a violent halt just inches from the porch steps.
Before the car had even stopped moving, I threw the door open and hit the ground running. David was right behind me, roaring like an enraged animal.
The front door was hanging off its hinges from where the police had kicked it in earlier. I sprinted up the stairs, my heart pounding in my ears like a war drum.
“ELENA!” I screamed as I burst onto the second-floor landing.
The hallway smelled like copper and spilled lavender shampoo from earlier that morning.
I rounded the corner into Reese’s bedroom.
The room was tossed. Drawers were pulled out, clothes were scattered everywhere, and the small wooden desk where Reese did her homework was flipped over.
Elena was standing near the closet, holding Reese by the arm. My sister looked unhinged. Her hair was wild, her mascara was smeared down her cheeks, and in her right hand, she gripped a heavy metal pipe wrench.
Reese was crying softly, her little arms bruised where Elena was squeezing her, but she was still clutching her pink tape recorder tightly against her chest.
“Stay back!” Elena shrieked, pointing the wrench at me as David and I filled the doorway. “Stay back, Sarah, or I swear to God I’ll hurt her!”
“Elena, drop the weapon!” David yelled, taking a step forward, his fists raised. “She’s an eight-year-old child! She’s your niece!”
“She ruined everything!” Elena screamed, her voice cracking into a manic sob. “Robert Vance was going to pay off my debts! I was going to be clean! But this little monster had to go snooping around with her stupid recorder! She recorded Steven! She ruined the whole deal!”
“You sold out my family!” I took a slow, deliberate step into the room, my eyes locked on the wrench in her hand. “You let that boy abuse Kayla! You helped him plan to drug her tonight! How could you do that to your own blood, Elena? How could you look at Kayla and smile while helping a predator line his pockets?!”
“You have everything, Sarah!” Elena spat, tears streaming down her face. “You have the nice house, the perfect family, the successful husband! And what do I have? Nothing! I owed money to people who break legs for a living! Vance said no one would get hurt if Kayla just stayed with Steven! It was supposed to be easy!”
“You’re sick,” I whispered.
“Give me the tape, Reese,” Elena growled, twisting Reese’s arm violently. “Give it to me right now!”
“No!” Reese cried out, looking at me with fierce, unbroken stubbornness. “You’re a bad person, Aunt Elena! You don't get to hurt Kayla anymore!”
Reese suddenly reached up with her free hand and slammed the corner of the heavy pink tape recorder straight into Elena’s eye.
Elena screamed in pain, dropping the wrench as she clutched her face.
“NOW, DAVID!” I yelled.
David lunged forward, tackling Elena to the floor, pinning her down as she kicked and shrieked like a wild animal.
I swept Reese into my arms, pulling her tight against my chest, feeling her tiny heart hammering against my ribs. “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
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Outside, sirens wailed to a stop in front of the house. Police officers stormed up the stairs, guns drawn, bursting into the room and pulling David off Elena, dragging my sister to her feet in handcuffs.
Elena glared at me as she was led away, her eye swelling shut. “You think this is over, Sarah? You think you’ve won? You have no idea what Robert Vance has planned for your husband. You’re all going down!”
