Chapter 12 - The Siege on Ridge Road
A blinding flash of white light filled the study, followed by a concussive shockwave that knocked Judge Miller back against his bookshelves. Clara screamed, instinctively shielding Lily with her body as she hit the carpeted floor. Smoke billowed through the shattered window frame, smelling of sulfur and burnt rubber. Heavy boots pounded across the hardwood floor of the foyer, and rough shouts echoed through the hallway.
"Federal warrants mean nothing if you don't live to sign them, Judge!" a harsh, distorted voice roared from the corridor.
It wasn't local police; it was private security in tactical gear, bearing the unmarked insignia of Halm Development’s elite protection detail. David Vance stepped into the study through the smoke, holding a suppressed sidearm, his face twisted in a cold, calculating grimace.
"I told you, Mark, you should have stayed at the warehouse," David said, pointing the pistol directly toward the desk where the canvas bag lay open. "Hand over the physical files, and maybe the judge can grant you a lenient sentence for grand larceny."
Judge Miller struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the desk, his face pale with rage. "You are pointing a weapon at a federal magistrate, Mr. Vance. That is an act of domestic terrorism."
"Times change, Judge," David replied coldly, stepping closer. "And so do jurisdictions."
Mark slowly rose from the floor, positioning himself between David and Clara, who was still clutching Lily on the rug. "You won't get away with this, David. The digital copies were already uploaded to the grand jury server the moment we crossed the county line."
David laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "You think an encrypted packet sitting in a queue can save you? Richard has already wiped the mainframes. Without these physical files, your claims are nothing more than bitter family gossip."
Before David could pull the trigger or grab the bag, the heavy study door behind him burst open with a resounding crash. Evelyn stood in the doorway, holding a heavy cast-iron fireplace poker with both hands, and brought it down with crushing force across David Vance’s shoulder.
David cried out, dropping his pistol as he stumbled sideways against a heavy oak bookshelf. Sarah didn't hesitate; she lunged forward, grabbed the canvas bag off the desk, and scrambled backward toward the shattered window.
"Run!" Evelyn shouted, swinging the poker again to keep the other tactical guards at bay as they rushed into the hallway.
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Clara scooped Lily up into her arms, sprinting behind Mark through the smoke-filled corridor toward the back service exit of the estate, the sound of shouting guards and scuffling echoing behind them as Evelyn held the line.
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