Chapter 7 - The Barricaded Door
The crowbar shrieked against the brass lock, the heavy oak door groaning under the immense pressure as the intruder forced their way into the nursery. Maya braced her entire weight against the wooden toy chest she had dragged across the floor, her muscles burning with adrenaline and fear. Little Leo’s cries filled the small room, adding a frantic soundtrack to the terrifying break-in.
With a deafening crack, the door latch finally snapped, sending the heavy door swinging inward and knocking the toy chest aside.
A tall man in a tailored dark suit stepped into the amber light of the nursery, his face obscured by a sleek black tactical mask, holding a polished metal briefcase in one hand.
“Step away from the crib, Maya,” the man instructed, his voice calm, professional, and chillingly devoid of emotion. “We don’t want to hurt the boy. We only want the financial drives your accountant friend Julian left behind in this house tonight.”
Maya backed away until her heels hit the cold glass of the balcony window, her mind racing for an escape route that didn't involve handing over the only evidence capable of destroying Eleanor’s empire.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maya lied fiercely, keeping her body positioned protectively in front of her son. “Julian didn't leave anything here. You’re working for Eleanor, aren’t you? You’re her clean-up crew.”
The masked man let out a low, humorless chuckle, taking a slow step forward as he reached into his jacket.
“Eleanor is a small player in a very large game, Mrs. Vance,” the intruder said smoothly. “She thinks she’s pulling the strings, but the people who fund her foundation care about one thing: keeping their offshore accounts hidden from federal investigators. Julian found the master ledger, and you have it.”
Before the man could lunge forward, the hallway lights flickered violently, and a heavy shadow lunged from the doorway, tackling the intruder to the floor with a brutal crash.
It was Marcus, his face bleeding from a deep cut above his eyebrow, his fists hammering relentlessly into the masked man’s chest until the intruder managed to shove him off and dive backward out the open balcony window.
Marcus scrambled to his feet, panting heavily, blood dripping onto his white shirt as he looked at Maya with desperate eyes.
“Are you and Leo safe?” Marcus gasped, stepping forward to check on them, but Maya recoiled from his touch, pointing a trembling finger at the pocket of his trousers.
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“Who gave you the key to the safe downstairs, Marcus?” Maya demanded, her voice cutting like glass. “Because the man who just climbed out that window used the exact master code only you and your mother know.”
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