Chapter 5 - Locked Doors
The barrel of the silver pistol gleamed coldly in the San Diego afternoon sun. Chloe let out a terrified shriek and threw her arms around my legs, burying her face in my coat.
“Don’t you dare touch my daughter!” I screamed, throwing myself in front of Chloe, shielding her tiny body with my own.
Aria laughed—a harsh, cold sound that echoed down the driveway. “Oh, relax, Nora. Kids are messy. We prefer neat endings. Julian, open the front door. Now.”
Julian stood paralyzed, his eyes fixed on the gun. For a moment, I thought—I desperately hoped—he would find a shred of his humanity, tackle his sister-in-law, and defend his family. Instead, his cowardice won. With trembling hands, he unlocked the front door and pushed it open.
“Inside. All of you,” Aria commanded, stepping forward and motioning with the gun.
We were forced into the foyer. Aria kicked the door shut behind us with a loud, final click. The illusion of safety in our home was shattered completely. Every wall, every framed family photo, every corner now felt like a cage designed to trap me.
“Julian, tie them up,” Aria ordered, tossing a roll of heavy-duty packing tape across the living room floor.
Julian looked at me, tears streaming down his face. “Nora… I’m so sorry. I didn't think it would come to this. Please, Aria, don't hurt Chloe. Take me instead.”
“Shut up, you spineless coward,” Aria snapped, her finger resting dangerously close to the trigger. “If you want your brother to live, you’ll do what I say. Tie your wife up. We’re staging a robbery gone wrong.”
My mind raced. I couldn't fight Aria physically—she had the gun, and Julian was too weak to help. But I had one advantage they didn't know about: Sienna.
When Sienna realized Chloe and I had slipped out of the car, she would follow. And if she didn't hear from us within ten minutes, she knew protocol. She would call the police.
I just needed to stall.
“Aria, wait,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the terror gripping my chest. “Killing me in my own house won't solve David's problems. The police will trace this. They already have the pharmacy records. They know David bought the drugs.”
Aria paused, her eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”
“The records aren't just on paper,” I lied smoothly, locking eyes with her. “They’re backed up on my cloud storage. Automated. If I’m not alive to enter my password every six hours, everything—every receipt, every text message from Eleanor, every financial transfer from Julian—is automatically sent to the FBI.”
For a split second, doubt flickered in Aria’s eyes. She glanced at Julian, demanding confirmation.
“Is she lying?” Aria hissed.
Julian opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, a loud, heavy crash echoed from the back of the house.
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Crash!
Someone had just broken through the kitchen window.
