Chapter 11
The officer drew a sidearm from his utility holster, the matte black barrel catching the faint amber glow of the emergency lights lining the catwalk.
“Step away from the door, Mr. Vance,” the officer ordered, his voice flat and robotic. “Resistance is a violation of the developmental custody agreement.”
Ricardo didn't move. He kept his broad shoulders squared, shielding Leo entirely from view.
“I’m not moving an inch,” Ricardo said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline hammering in his chest. “If you shoot me, the alarm on this phone streams our location and this entire room's contents to every federal marshal in the tri-state area. I set the broadcast timer before we left the hallway.”
Elena’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. She glanced at the officer, signaling him to lower the weapon slightly with a subtle flick of her wrist.
“You’re bluffing, Ricardo,” Elena said, taking a slow step forward. “You’ve spent your entire life believing in rules, compliance, and corporate structures. You don't have the stomach to blow up your own life.”
“You killed Sarah,” Ricardo said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper that cut through the stale attic air. “You killed the woman I loved and tried to rewrite my son’s mind. My life was already blown up the moment you walked into our house.”
Leo peeked out from behind Ricardo’s leg, his big hazel eyes locking onto Elena with a sudden, eerie calm that didn't belong to an eight-year-old child.
“You forgot to lock the backup server, Aunt Elena,” Leo said clearly, his voice devoid of fear.
Elena stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the boy.
“What did you say?” Elena whispered, her composed facade finally shattering completely.
Leo reached out from behind Ricardo, his small thumb pressing directly against the glass biometric scanner plate beside the heavy steel door.
A sharp chime rang out through the attic. The LED panel above the door shifted instantly from harsh red to a glowing, brilliant green.
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The heavy steel bolts inside the door retracted with a deep, mechanical clunk, and the heavy door slowly swung inward, revealing a brightly lit control room filled with rows of glowing computer monitors and live audio feeds broadcasting from luxury homes across the entire eastern seaboard.
Before Elena could lunge forward to stop them, Ricardo grabbed Leo’s hand and lunged backward through the open doorway, slamming the reinforced steel door shut behind them just as the tactical officer fired his weapon, the bullet flattening uselessly against the thick alloy frame.
