Chapter 4 - THE FLIGHT FROM THE COURTHOUSEBefore the click of the handcuffs could echo through the small chambers, Victor moved with terrifying, explosive speed.
Desperation is a powerful narcotic. Knowing he was facing life imprisonment—or worse, execution for premeditated murder and patricide—Victor didn't hesitate. With a violent shove, he sent Detective Vance stumbling backward into the towering wooden bookshelf. Heavy law books rained down in a thunderous crash of paper and dust.
Before anyone else could react, Victor lunged across the desk, swept up a heavy brass letter opener, and grabbed the terrified court stenographer by the collar, pressing the jagged point directly against her jugular vein.
“Back off! All of you, back the hell away!” Victor screamed, spittle flying from his lips, his eyes bulging with manic energy. He dragged the sobbing woman backward toward the private exit door that led directly into the underground parking garage. “Drop your weapons! Unlock the doors, or I swear to God I’ll open her throat right here!”
“Victor, stop! You’re only making it worse!” the judge yelled, hands raised in surrender as he scrambled behind his desk.
“Shut up! You’re finished, judge! You’re all finished!” Victor shrieked, backing through the doorway into the concrete hallway, using the hostage as a human shield while keeping his eyes darting frantically toward the escape stairwell.
In the center of the room, little Leo watched the nightmare unfold. Eleven months ago, he had watched his father’s eyes fill with betrayal as the heavy oak door slammed shut and the key turned in the lock. He had watched the smoke creep under the crack of the door while his uncle’s footsteps faded down the corridor.
The trauma wasn't just a psychological block. It was a prison built by his own mind to lock away a horror too great for a child to bear. And now, seeing that same monster threaten another innocent life in front of him, the prison walls collapsed entirely.
Leo didn't scream this time. He didn't cry.
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With a fierce, electric determination, he snatched up the heavy brass paperweight from the judge's desk and bolted toward the open door.
“Leo, no!” Martha cried out, lunging after him.
