Chapter 6: Glass and Panic
The sound of shattering glass tore through the quiet evening air, instantly followed by the heavy thud of combat boots hitting the hardwood of the living room. David reacted on pure instinct, shoving Clara down behind the sturdy oak coffee table just as a second window pane gave way in the dining alcove.
“Stay down! Keep Leo low!” David hissed, his eyes darting frantically around the room for an improvised weapon. The wooden cutting board was ruined in the kitchen, but the heavy iron fireplace poker sat upright in its stand near the hearth.
Through the broken front window, a dark figure vaulted over the sill, clad in tactical black gear with a balaclava obscuring all but the eyes. It was clear Vance hadn’t been bluffing about their lack of patience. Forty-eight hours had shrunk to forty-eight seconds.
Clara clutched Leo tightly against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. The baby began to cry, a high-pitched, terrified wail that pierced the chaos of the room. Clara buried her face in the baby's blanket, trying to muffle his cries while whispering frantic, soothing reassurances that she herself could barely hear over the pounding of her own blood.
David didn't hesitate. He lunged across the rug, grabbing the heavy iron poker just as the intruder rounded the corner from the hallway. The man swung a collapsible baton, aiming a vicious strike at David’s head. David ducked beneath the arc of the swing, bringing the heavy iron poker up in a sharp, brutal uppercut that connected squarely with the intruder’s jaw. The man stumbled backward, crashing heavily into a bookshelf and bringing a cascade of hardcover novels down onto the floor.
“David!” Clara screamed from behind the coffee table, her voice cracking with terror as a second intruder appeared at the broken dining room window, holding a heavy-duty zip-tie restraint in gloved hands.
“We’re leaving, out through the laundry room!” David shouted, dropping the iron poker and grabbing Clara by the arm, hauling her to her feet with one fluid motion. He scooped up the duffel bag containing the encrypted flash drive with his free hand, keeping his body between Clara and the intruders as they backed away from the living room.
The laundry room door led directly into the attached two-car garage, where their silver SUV sat parked under the dim glow of an overhead fluorescent bulb. David slammed the connecting door behind them, throwing the deadbolt just as heavy fists began to pound against the wood on the other side.
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“Get in the car! Strap Leo into his car seat right now!” David ordered, punching the garage door opener on the wall. The heavy metal door began its slow, grinding ascent, revealing the dark, rain-slicked driveway and the empty suburban street beyond.
Clara strapped the screaming infant into his rear-facing seat with trembling fingers, her eyes locked on the rearview mirror as David threw the SUV into reverse and hit the gas, tearing down the driveway with tires squeaking against the wet asphalt.
