Chapter 12 - THE MIDNIGHT INTRUSIONBack in my high-rise apartment, I was reviewing the final liquidation paperwork for the Oak Ridge property when my security tablet chimed softly.
Motion detected: Service hallway, 7th floor.
I looked up from my desk, narrowing my eyes. The building had strict biometric elevator access and 24-hour concierge security. Unless someone had a stolen keycard or had slipped in behind a resident, nobody unauthorized should have been on my floor.
I stood up silently, walking over to the digital monitor by the front door.
The infrared camera showed a familiar, disheveled figure crouching near the elevator alcove, frantically picking at the keypad of the service stairwell door.
It was Derek.
He looked unhinged. His hair was matted, his designer jacket was stained with grease, and his eyes darted back and forth like a cornered animal. In his right hand, he clutched a heavy brass tire iron he must have stolen from a parking garage.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but the paralyzing fear I used to feel around him was completely gone. It had been replaced by a cold, calculated readiness.
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Instead of panicking, I reached for my smartphone, opened the direct dispatch app for the downtown private security detail I had hired with my settlement funds, and pressed the silent panic button.
"Let's see how brave you are without Mom to wipe your nose, Derek," I whispered into the empty room.
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