Chapter 7 - The Barrel of a Gun
The barrel of the pistol caught the dim sliver of light, gleaming with a dull, lethal matte finish that sent a jolt of pure terror straight down Clara’s spine. The man standing in the doorway was tall, wearing a dark canvas jacket with the collar turned up, his face half-obscured by the brim of a baseball cap pulled low over his forehead. He didn't look like an ordinary burglar; his stance was too disciplined, his movements too calculated.
“I said, hand over the briefcase!” the man repeated, raising the weapon so it pointed directly at the space between Evelyn and Clara.
Evelyn let out a muffled sob, her hands flying up to cover her mouth as she pressed herself deeper into the corner of the alcove, trembling violently. Clara, however, felt a strange, cold surge of clarity override her panic. Her primary concern wasn't the money, the ledger, or even the bitter betrayal of her marriage—it was the tiny, warm bundle pressed safely against her chest. If she died here, Maya would be left entirely at the mercy of strangers and monsters.
“Take it,” Clara said, her voice remarkably steady despite the tears still clinging to her eyelashes. She used her left hand to push the open leather briefcase forward across the dusty top of the desk until it rested near the edge. “The money, the documents, everything is right there. Just leave us alone.”
The intruder narrowed his eyes, keeping the gun trained squarely on Clara while he stepped cautiously across the threshold of the hidden room. He didn't lower his weapon even as his free hand reached out to grab the handle of the briefcase.
“You think I care about the cash, lady?” the man sneered, his raspy voice dripping with contempt. “Daniel thought he could play both sides of the fence and walk away clean with Julianna and the kid. Where is he hiding the flash drive?”
Clara frowned, genuine confusion cutting through her fear. “What flash drive? I don't know anything about a flash drive!”
The man’s expression darkened menacingly. He took another step forward, closing the distance between them until the cold steel of the gun barrel was mere inches from Clara’s shoulder. “Don't play games with me. Julianna said he backed up every single incriminating file on a encrypted drive before he vanished this morning. If you don't tell me where it is right now, I’ll start with the old lady, and then I’ll move on to the baby.”
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Before Clara could react, Evelyn lunged forward from the corner with a desperate, banshee-like scream, grabbing a heavy glass paperweight from the desk and hurling it straight at the intruder's head.
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