Chapter 5 - A Cornered Beast
Three weeks later, the drama had not settled, but the battlefield had shifted.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Marcus’s high-priced legal team had managed to exploit a technicality regarding maritime jurisdiction, securing him a temporary release on an incredibly high bail. He was placed under strict house arrest with an ankle monitor at his country estate, awaiting a federal trial. Elena, unable to afford the same level of legal defense, remained locked up in a federal holding facility, turning on Marcus and spilling every secret she knew to save herself.
Sarah was staying at a secured, undisclosed safehouse in the hills overlooking Puget Sound, guarded by state police. Her pregnancy was now at thirty-six weeks. She was tired, but the nightmare was almost at its end.
Or so she thought.
It was a stormy night when the power suddenly cut out.
The safehouse plunged into pitch blackness.
Sarah sat up in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs. The backup generator should have kicked in within five seconds.
It didn't.
Outside her door, she heard a soft, wet thud. The sound of a heavy object hitting the floor.
"Officer Davis?" Sarah called out, her voice trembling.
No answer.
She slid out of bed, her hand instantly going to her phone. There was no signal. A cellular jammer was active nearby.
Then came the sound of footsteps. Not the quick, alert steps of a police officer, but a slow, dragging, deliberate pace.
The bedroom door creaked open.
A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, blinding her. Behind the light stood a silhouette she recognized all too well.
Marcus.
He looked unhinged. His hair was greasy and matted, his clothes soaked from the rain. Around his ankle, the GPS monitor had been crudely cut off, wrapped in heavy aluminum foil to block the signal. In his right hand, he held a heavy, dark iron tire iron.
"You shouldn't have come back, Sarah," Marcus whispered, his voice sounding entirely hollow. "If you had just drowned like a good wife, I would have built a library in your name. Now? Now I have nothing. The board threw me out. The bank froze my accounts. Elena is singing to the feds."
"Marcus, please," Sarah said, backing away until her hips hit the windowsill. "You're facing attempted murder. If you do this, it's a life sentence. Think about your daughter."
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"My daughter?" Marcus laughed, a terrifying, dry sound. "She died the moment you decided to play the hero. I'm leaving the country tonight. A boat is waiting for me on the coast. But I couldn't leave without finishing what I started."
He raised the iron bar, stepping closer. "Nobody survives falling twice."
