Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Driveway"Let her go!" I screamed, lunging forward and swinging my heavy leather handbag like a weapon.
The heavy brass buckle caught someone squarely across the jaw with a sickening thwack. Victoria stumbled back, releasing Chloe with a sharp curse, clutching her face. In the dim amber glow of the driveway streetlight, her face was twisted into something unrecognizable—a mask of pure, unadulterated fury that completely erased the grieving mother persona she had worn all week.
"You crazy old bitch!" Victoria spat, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "You're ruining everything! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"I know you tried to bury my granddaughter alive!" I screamed back, my voice echoing off the neighboring houses. "Get away from us!"
"Victoria, grab the girl!" Julian yelled, rounding the corner of the house like a sprinter out of the blocks, his face dark and murderous.
"Run, Chloe! Run!" I yelled, scooping the little girl back into my arms despite the burning pain in my back and the weakness in my legs. I bolted toward the edge of the property where our sedan was parked under the flickering streetlight.
My fingers fumbled frantically through my coat pockets, searching for the car keys. Come on, come on... My hands were shaking so violently I dropped the keychain into the damp gravel.
"Got you!"
Julian’s heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder, spinning me around with brutal force. The impact knocked the wind out of my lungs, and Chloe slipped from my arms, tumbling onto the grass with a soft cry.
"Julian, stop! She’s your daughter!" I choked out, clawing at his hands as he pinned me against the side of the car.
"You don't understand, Mom," Julian hissed, his breath hot and frantic against my ear. His eyes weren't the eyes of my son; they were wide, frantic, and desperate. "If she doesn't stay dead, we die. Both of us. You have no idea what we owe them."
Before I could process the chilling horror of his words, the sharp, wailing blast of a police siren tore through the night. Red and blue lights flashed against the white siding of the house, painting the scene in a nightmarish, strobe-like glow.
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Julian froze, his grip slackening on my shoulder.
A squad car turned sharply into the driveway, its headlights blinding us all.
