Chapter 5 - Shadow in the Rain
"Stay in this room, Maya," I said softly, setting her down behind a soft armchair and placing a teddy bear in her arms. "Daddy will be right back. Lock this door from the inside if you hear noise."
She nodded wide-eyed, clutching the bear to her chest.
I closed the nursery door and walked down the grand staircase into the main lobby. The front doors swept open, blowing cold rain and wind into the foyer. Marcus stepped inside, flanked by two burly men in dark coats with hidden shoulder holsters.
"You always were persistent, Charles," Marcus said smoothly, shaking the water from his umbrella. "A bit slow to catch on, but persistent."
"You poisoned my life, Marcus," I said, my voice dangerously quiet as I stood at the bottom of the stairs. "You used my wife's illness to force her away from me. You stole three years of my daughter's life. Why?"
Marcus laughed—a dry, soulless sound. "Why? Because you were soft, Charles! You wanted a family, a home, a quiet life in the suburbs. Meanwhile, I was building an empire! But the board loved you. They trusted the honest, hard-working founder. I couldn't oust you legally, so I broke you personally."
He stepped closer, his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor. "I found out about Sarah's blood disorder before she even knew. I hired Dr. Harrison to deliver the diagnosis in the most terrifying way possible. Then I offered her a deal: leave Chicago, accept my offshore money for her specialized treatments, and keep you out of it—or I’d cut the funds and let her die in front of you while bankrupting your company."
"And the blood on the bed in Miami?" I demanded, my fists clenching so hard my nails cut into my palms.
Marcus’s lips curled into a sinister grin. "That was an unfortunate accident. My men followed her to your hotel. When she realized we were watching her, she panicked. Her blood pressure spiked, causing an internal rupture right there beside you. She fled because she knew if my men saw you together, I would take Maya."
He pulled a silver hand-gun from his coat pocket, equipping a heavy black suppressor to the barrel.
"Now, Charles," Marcus said coldly, raising the weapon. "You've become an unmanageable liability. You have the drive, you have the kid, and you know too much. Hand over the briefcase, and I might let the little girl live in an orphanage."
A sudden deafening crash shattered the glass bay windows of the living room.
A blinding stun-grenade exploded in the center of the foyer, filling the hall with white light and intense deafening sound. Marcus and his guards stumbled back, shielding their eyes and cursing wildly.
Through the smoke, three armed figures in black tactical gear burst into the house. Leading them was my brother, Frank.
"Federal Marshals! Hands in the air! Drop the weapon!" Frank roared, raising his tactical rifle.
Marcus fired wildly into the smoke, hitting one of the entry walls. Panic erupted in the foyer. I dove forward, tackling the guard on the right to the floor, grabbing a heavy brass floor lamp and swinging it with all my strength into Marcus's chest.
Marcus gasped for air, dropping his gun as he fell backward onto the marble stairs. Frank tackled the second guard to the ground, pinning him under heavy boots.
I stood over Marcus, breathing heavily, picking up his fallen firearm and pointing it directly at his forehead.
May you like
"It's over, Marcus," I growled, my finger hovering over the trigger.
"Charles... wait!" Marcus gasped, clutching his bruised chest, his eyes wide with genuine terror for the first time. "If you kill me, you'll never save her! Harrison has already initiated the lethal potassium drip at the hospital! Sarah is dying right now!"
