Chapter 6 - THE BETRAYAL FROM WITHINThe floorboards creaked softly outside the front door.
I froze, motioning for Emily to stay silent behind the heavy oak table. I crept toward the door, my hand closing around the heavy iron fire poker leaning against the stone fireplace.
The wooden latch lifted slowly. The heavy oak door swung open, revealing a figure standing in the driving rain.
It was Sheriff Miller.
He was soaked to the bone, his uniform cap dripping water, his service pistol drawn and pointed at the floor. He looked exhausted, older than his years, with deep, hollow circles under his eyes.
"Jack," the sheriff said, his voice raspy and defeated. "Don't do anything stupid. I know you're in here."
"Tom?" I stepped out from the shadows, lowering the poker slightly. "You tracked us up here? Are you working for Walter now?"
Tom Miller closed the door behind him, locking it with a sharp click. He holstered his weapon and rubbed his face with both hands. "I'm not working for Walter, Jack. I'm working for my own survival. An hour ago, my daughter's dorm at Vanderbilt was broken into. They sent me pictures, Jack. They told me if I didn't bring you and the girl in—along with whatever data drive she has—my daughter wouldn't see tomorrow."
The room grew deathly cold. The corruption wasn't just in the boardrooms or the construction yards; it had poisoned the very badge meant to protect the town.
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"We can't go back, Tom," I said, my voice hard as iron. "If we give them that drive, nobody in Franklin will ever be safe again."
Tom looked at Emily, then back at me. He pulled a spare set of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt and tossed them onto the wooden table. "Then you're going to have to make it look like I tried my best, Jack. Because if I walk out of here empty-handed, they'll kill us all."
