Chapter 4 - The Midnight Siege
The heavy oak door rattled as two estate security guards began using a shoulder ram against the lock.
"Penelope! Stop being foolish!" Conrad yelled through the splintering wood. "Just hand over the phone and the digital files! Mother promised she won't press charges if you cooperate!"
"Toby, get under the bed," I ordered, picking up a heavy brass desk lamp from the bedside table and ripping the cord from the wall.
"Mrs. Penelope, what are you doing?" Toby gasped, his eyes wide.
"I'm executing a public relations strategy," I said, stepping behind the door frame just as the lock shattered with a loud CRACK.
The door burst open. Two burly guards in dark gray estate uniforms rushed into the room, followed closely by Conrad.
The first guard didn't even see me. As he stepped over the threshold, I swung the brass lamp with all the strength in my body, striking him squarely across the side of his tactical vest. The blow knocked him off balance, sending him crashing into the nightstand.
The second guard lunged for me, grabbing my wrist and twisting it hard to force me to drop the phone.
"Let go of her!" Conrad yelled, surprisingly shoving the guard back. "I said secure the room, not hurt her!"
"Your mother gave explicit orders, Mr. Wheeler!" the guard growled, pulling a pair of zip-ties from his belt. "She said the new wife stays in this room until the morning flight to London is ready!"
"Flight to London?" I rasped, struggling against the guard's grip. "She's trying to deport me?!"
"She booked you a one-way ticket under a corporate alias," the guard sneered, pinning my arms behind my back. "By noon tomorrow, the news will report that you abandoned your marriage and fled the country with company funds."
"She won't get the chance," a quiet voice spoke from the doorway.
Everyone froze.
Toby had crawled out from under the bed. In his small hands, he held a heavy crystal water carafe from the dresser. Before the guard holding me could react, Toby drove the heavy glass carafe down onto the guard's foot with all his weight.
CRUNCH.
The guard screamed in pain, dropping to one knee as he clutched his crushed toes.
I pulled my arms free, grabbed Toby by his collar, and dragged him out into the hallway before the first guard could regain his feet.
"Conrad!" I screamed over my shoulder as we sprinted down the grand corridor toward the servant stairs. "If you ever loved your late wife, block that hallway!"
Conrad stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at the guards, then at his son running for his life.
For the first time in his cowardly existence, a spark of human dignity ignited in Conrad Wheeler's eyes. He stepped in front of the door frame, spread his arms wide, and slammed his shoulder into the guard trying to pursue us.
"Run, Penelope!" Conrad roared, grappling with his own security staff on the hardwood floor. "Take him to the lodge! The master key is in my coat pocket!"
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We didn't look back.
Toby and I flew down the narrow spiral servant stairs, past the startled kitchen staff who were standing near the cold pantries, and burst through the heavy heavy iron tradesman door into the freezing rainy night.
