Chapter 7 - The Hunt in the Storm
The blaring sirens of the house alarm shattered the silence of the night. Within seconds, Arthur rushed down the hallway, a firearm in hand, followed by loyal estate guards.
Marcus knew he was caught. He kicked open the secondary balcony door in Ethan's room, smashing through the glass, and grabbed Ethan by his jacket collar.
"Stay back!" Marcus roared, dragging the terrified boy toward the icy balcony ledge overlooking the dark, steep ravine behind the estate. "Stay back or I toss him over! Victoria promised me five million dollars to finish this, and I'm not leaving empty-handed!"
Arthur froze in the hallway, horror freezing the blood in his veins. "Marcus... put him down. I will double whatever she promised you. Just don't hurt my son!"
"It's too late for deals, Vance!" Marcus spat, shivering as the howling wind and snow blasted through the shattered balcony doors.
While Marcus was screaming at Arthur, Lily didn't freeze. She knew the layout of the estate better than Marcus thought. She slipped out through the adjoining bathroom, crawling through a tiny maintenance hatch that led directly to the exterior balcony wall.
Creeping along the narrow, snow-slick ledge in the freezing gale, Lily moved like a ghost. The wind battered her face, blinding her with ice, but she didn't stop. She saw Marcus standing near the edge, his back partially turned to her as he held Ethan over the drop.
May you like
Lily reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the heavy brass doorstop she had grabbed from the hallway.
With a fierce, primal scream that cut through the thunder of the storm, Lily leapt from the ledge onto Marcus’s back, smashing the heavy brass object directly against the side of his head.
