Chapter 6
Julian was screaming at the state troopers on his left, waving his revolver wildly toward the driver’s side window. He had no idea I was creeping up on his right.
I reached the passenger door. Through the glass, Elena saw me.
Her eyes widened in absolute shock, but she didn’t make a sound. She subtly shifted her body to the left, blocking Julian’s view of the passenger mirror.
I grabbed the heavy steel tire iron I had pulled from my truck, raised it above my head, and shattered the Explorer’s rear passenger window with a deafening CRACK.
The sudden explosion of shattering glass threw Julian into complete panic.
He spun his revolver toward the back seat, but the distraction was all the police needed. Detective Vance and two state troopers surged forward, smashing the driver’s side window and grabbing Julian’s gun arm before he could pull the trigger.
I yanked open the front passenger door, pulled a pocket knife from my jacket, and sliced the heavy zip-tie binding Elena’s wrist.
“Robert!” Elena sobbed, collapsing out of the SUV and into my arms.
I pulled her tightly against my chest, shielding her body with mine as the troopers dragged a screaming, thrashing Julian out onto the wet pavement, slamming him face-down into the gravel and slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
“He… he locked her away,” Elena wept hysterically into my rain-soaked jacket, her hands clutching my shoulders. “Robert, where is Maya?! Is she okay?! Please tell me she’s okay!”
“She’s safe, Elena,” I whispered, tears mixing with the rain on my face as I held her up. “She’s at the hospital. I broke the cage. She’s safe.”
Elena let out a long, shuddering gasp of pure, unfiltered relief, her knees giving out completely as she cried against my chest.
May you like
Two weeks later, the afternoon sun shone warm and bright over the backyard of my home on the outskirts of the city.
Julian Vance was held without bail at the county jail, facing a laundry list of federal and state charges—including attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, child abuse, and grand larceny. With the mountain of physical evidence, Maya’s detailed testimony, and the recovered financial ledgers, he was facing life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
