Chapter 5 - The Midnight Breach
The wind chill dropped back down to dangerous levels on Sunday night, the frost thick on the double-paned windows of my house. I was asleep on the sofa, keeping a watchful eye on the security monitors, when a sudden, sharp scraping sound came from the back porch.
I sat up instantly, my muscles tensing.
On the monitor for the kitchen entrance, a dark figure was working a crowbar against the lock of my sliding glass door. The silhouette was familiar—the broad shoulders, the heavy, expensive winter coat. It was my father. He was completely unraveled, driven mad by the impending financial collapse of his empire.
I didn't yell. I didn't panic. I quietly reached into my robe pocket, pulled out my phone, and pressed the direct speed-dial for Marcus, the head of the private security firm Arthur had hired to watch the perimeter.
"Marcus," I whispered. "He’s at the back door. He’s breaking the glass."
"We’re already moving, Miss Hayes," Marcus replied, his voice calm and professional. "Do not approach the kitchen."
A loud, shattering crash echoed through the house as the safety glass of the sliding door gave way. I heard my father’s heavy boots stepping into the kitchen, his breath ragged and smelling heavily of alcohol.
"Dorothy!" Richard shouted into the dark house, his voice slurred and terrifying. "Dorothy, get out here! You’re coming home right now! You're going to sign the settlement papers or I’m losing everything!"
I stepped into the hallway, blocking the entrance to the guest room where Dorothy was sleeping. "Get out of my house, Dad."
Richard turned, his eyes wild and bloodshot under the beam of his flashlight. He raised the crowbar, stepping toward me with a menacing growl. "You did this to me, Megan! You and that old man Pendelton! I built that company! It belongs to me!"
Before he could take another step, the front and back doors burst open simultaneously. Four private security officers, accompanied by two local police cruisers who had been stationed down the street, flooded the hallway.
Richard was tackled to the ground before he could even swing the metal bar, his face pressed hard into the carpet as the handcuffs clicked into place.
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"Richard Hayes," the police officer barked, pinning him down. "You are under arrest for felony burglary, violation of a restraining order, and assault with a deadly weapon."
As they dragged him out into the freezing night, his screams of rage were swallowed by the howling wind. I stood in the hallway, my heart pounding, but my mind was completely at peace. The snake had finally trapped itself.
