Chapter 16 - The Breach
Panic seized me. I sprinted out of the restaurant, dialing my head of security, David. The line went straight to voicemail. I boarded my car, driving like a madman through the rainy city streets toward the coast.
When I arrived, the front gate was wide open. The security guards were unconscious on the lawn, struck down by tasers. The front door of the house was shattered.
"Ethan! Emma!" I screamed, tearing through the hallway.
I found Ethan standing in front of Emma’s bedroom door, holding a heavy metal trophy he had won for soccer. His small body was shaking, but his eyes were fierce. Behind him, Emma was crying, clutching her favorite teddy bear.
Standing in the center of the living room was Sarah, accompanied by two large men in tactical gear. She held a set of forged emergency custody papers.
"They're my children, Marcus. The court granted me temporary emergency custody due to your 'unstable mental state' documented in the media," she sneered, gesturing to the men to grab Ethan.
"Don't touch him!" I yelled, lunging forward. One of the guards hit me in the ribs with a baton. I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
"Daddy!" Ethan screamed, trying to fight off the guard who grabbed his arm.
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Just as Sarah reached for Emma, the sound of blaring sirens echoed down the driveway. A fleet of state police vehicles skidded to a halt outside. Julian had tracked my phone and called the state police captain directly, bypassing the local corrupted precinct.
Sarah cursed, realizing her window of time had closed. "This isn't over, Marcus. We have the hearing tomorrow. You can't keep them forever." They retreated through the back exit into the darkness before the police could breach the house.
