Chapter 6: The Rescue Call
“David, listen to me!” Emily whispered fiercely into the phone, ignoring the menacing sound of Marcus tapping his heavy flashlight against her car window. “They killed Arthur. And they killed Sarah before him. I’m trapped at the estate gates right now. Marcus and Daniel have me boxed in.”
On the other end of the line, David’s breath hitched. As a senior corporate investigator who spent his life uncovering white-collar crimes, he knew the lethal weight of what his sister was telling him.
“Get out of the car, Emily. Run into the woods,” David commanded, his voice tight with panic and authority. “Don't talk to them. I’ve already sent the video package to the federal prosecutor's field office in the city. They’re dispatching state troopers right now, but it’ll take twenty minutes to reach your location.”
“Twenty minutes?” Emily’s voice broke. “Marcus is about to break my window right now!”
Outside, Marcus swung the heavy metal flashlight backward, preparing to strike the glass with maximum force. Emily braced herself, closing her eyes tightly as she huddled toward the passenger seat.
Crash!
The driver’s side window shattered into a thousand glittering shards of safety glass, spraying across the interior of the car and cutting into Emily’s beige button-down shirt. Marcus reached inside, unlocked the door from the inside, and yanked it open with brutal efficiency.
“Get out,” Marcus snarled, grabbing Emily by the arm and hauling her out of the vehicle onto the cold asphalt.
“Let go of me!” Emily screamed, struggling fiercely, kicking out with her boots.
Daniel jogged up from the rear vehicle, his face pale and conflicted. He reached out to restrain Marcus, his voice laced with uncharacteristic desperation.
“Marcus, stop! Don’t hurt her! Mother said just to bring her back inside!” Daniel yelled, trying to pry his brother’s hands off Emily’s bruised arm.
Marcus shoved Daniel back with a harsh, contemptuous shove. “Shut up, Daniel! Your weakness is what got us into this mess in the first place! If you had kept your wife under control like a proper husband, none of this would be happening!”
Emily dropped her cracked smartphone during the struggle. It bounced off the asphalt, the screen flickering and finally going completely black, the battery dislodged from the hard impact. Marcus noticed the phone on the ground, crushed it beneath the heel of his expensive leather shoe with a satisfying crunch, and smiled down at Emily.
“Your little toys won’t save you now,” Marcus hissed, hauling her toward the back of his SUV.
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Suddenly, a loud, distant wail of police sirens cut through the morning air, echoing faintly from the highway miles away. Marcus froze, his head snapping toward the distant sound. Emily seized the moment, sinking her teeth deep into Marcus’s forearm.
Marcus roared in pain, releasing his grip instantly. Emily didn't hesitate; she turned and bolted straight into the dense, overgrown woods bordering the Sterling estate.
