Chapter 10
The unmarked police cruisers arrived with terrifying efficiency, sliding silently along the park’s perimeter roads before doors flew open and uniformed officers poured out, weapons holstered but hands ready. Marcus’s sleek black sedan pulled up directly behind Arthur’s car, and the attorney stepped out, adjusting his suit jacket with a grim expression.
“Stay behind the perimeter line, Arthur,” Marcus commanded, grabbing Arthur’s arm as he reached for his car door handle. “Let the tactical unit secure the area. If your mother’s associates are professionals, they’ll have an escape route planned.”
“That’s my seven-year-old daughter sitting on that bench,” Arthur said, shaking off Marcus’s grip with a sudden, fierce authority. “I am not staying behind a line.”
Before Marcus could argue further, Arthur broke away, jogging low across the grass toward the duck pond where Lily sat. The little girl looked up as she heard footsteps crunching on the gravel path. Her face lit up with immediate relief when she recognized her father.
“Daddy!” Lily called out, jumping off the bench and running toward him, her white shoes kicking up tiny puffs of dust.
Arthur dropped to his knees just in time to catch her as she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder exactly as she had the day before. He held her tightly, burying his face in her long light brown hair, whispering words of comfort as tears finally spilled over his eyelashes. “I’ve got you, baby. I’m right here. You’re safe.”
From behind a cluster of weeping willow trees twenty yards away, a man in a dark trench coat stepped out, holding a burner phone to his ear. He looked stunned as he watched the police swarm the perimeter, realizing in a single fraction of a second that the trap had completely backfired. The man turned to run toward a waiting black sedan parked on the service road, but two uniformed officers cut him off instantly, tackling him to the grass with practiced precision.
As the suspect was handcuffed and read his rights, Margaret stepped out from another pathway, leaning heavily on a carved wooden cane. Her short white hair was slightly disheveled by the afternoon breeze, and her beige cardigan was buttoned crookedly. She didn't look like an untouchable matriarch anymore; she looked old, tired, and profoundly defeated.
May you like
Arthur stood up slowly, keeping Lily safely behind his leg. He looked across the gravel path at his mother. The pearls around her neck gleamed coldly in the sunlight, but their luster had vanished.
“It’s over, Mother,” Arthur said, his voice steady and devoid of anger. “The game is finished.”
