Chapter 6 - Retaliation
Three hours after our disappearance, the storm hit.
From the safehouse—a secluded cabin nestled in the pine forests of upstate New York—we watched the local news broadcast on an encrypted satellite feed.
Julian had called an emergency press conference on the steps of St. Jude’s Memorial.
He stood before a battery of microphones, looking pale, distraught, and utterly broken. He dabbed at his eyes with a pristine handkerchief while two senior detectives stood behind him.
"I am pleading to the public for help," Julian choked out, his voice cracking with theatrical grief. "My pregnant wife, Chloe, has been abducted by her estranged mother, Eleanor Vance. Eleanor has a documented history of severe mental instability. Chloe requires daily medication to prevent placental abruption. Without it, both she and our unborn child are in mortal danger."
"He's lying!" Chloe cried out, clutching her stomach. "I don't have any condition! He's turning the whole world against us!"
"Look at the screen, Chloe," I commanded gently. "Look at what he's really doing."
The ticker at the bottom of the broadcast read: *AMBER ALERT ISSUED FOR UNBORN CHILD; POLICE ARMED AND WARNED SUSPECT MAY BE UNSTABLE.*
Julian was using the state police as his private hunting hounds. If an officer stopped our vehicle, they would treat me as an armed kidnapper. A single misunderstanding could lead to shots fired.
"He wants us hunted down like animals," Marcus said, leaning over the table. "He’s using his clout to force an emergency court order. By noon, a judge will award him temporary sole conservatorship over Chloe and the unborn infant."
"Can they enter this property?" Chloe sobbed.
"Not legally," Marcus said. "This land belongs to a federal trust. But Julian has private security contractors on his payroll. Mercenaries who don't care about property lines."
Right on cue, the cabin's perimeter alarm chimed softly on Marcus's monitor.
Two black pickup trucks with tinted windows had just breached the gravel gate two miles down the road.
I stood up, walking toward the gun safe Marcus kept hidden behind the bookshelf.
"Mom?" Chloe’s voice was barely a whisper. "What are you doing?"
I unlocked the safe, revealing two tactical semi-automatic handguns and extra magazines. I picked up one, checked the chamber with practiced muscle memory, and slid it into my waistband.
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"I told you, darling," I said, looking out the window at the dense trees. "The grandmother who knits baby blankets is gone. Now, stay in the cellar with Marcus. I'm going to introduce Julian's friends to real hospitality."
***
