Chapter 9 - The Trap Springs Shut"Evelyn?" Marcus's voice echoed through the kitchen, cold and sharp as a razor.
I held my breath, pressing my back against bags of flour in the dark pantry, my fingers digging into my palms. Through the narrow slats of the pantry door, I saw Marcus walk into the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the kitchen island.
He walked over to Sarah's tablet. His fingers brushed the screen. It was still warm to the touch.
A dark, terrifying expression washed over his handsome face. The charming mask vanished entirely, replaced by pure, unadulterated fury. He knew someone had just used it. He knew we had crossed a line he never expected us to reach.
"Playing games, are we?" Marcus muttered to himself, his voice a low, gravelly growl that sent shivers down my spine.
He didn't call out my name. Instead, he pulled a heavy roll of packing tape from his pocket, walked over to the pantry door, and violently yanked it open before I could even blink.
Before I could scream, a heavy hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my voice entirely. Marcus shoved me backward against the shelf, his eyes burning with lethal rage.
"You stupid, miserable old hag," he whispered viciously right into my ear. "You just signed your own death warrant. And your little grandson's, too."
He bound my wrists with industrial tape with terrifying speed, wrapping more tape around my mouth so I couldn't even utter a muffled cry. As he dragged me out of the pantry and threw me onto the cold kitchen floor, the front door suddenly flew wide open, and a bright beam of headlights flooded the living room.
A voice called out from the doorway, breaking the terrifying stillness:
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"Marcus? Mom? Is everything alright? Why are all the lights off?"
It was Sarah. And she had walked right into the lion's den.
