Chapter 12 - Cornered in the Penthouse
"Drop the poker, Jessi!" Julian screamed, his sanity unraveling. "You think this tech-boy husband of yours can save you?! You belonged to me first! Everything in this house is mine!"
"She never belonged to you, Julian," I said, stepping quietly into the corridor behind him, raising my weapon with rock-solid alignment. "And you are out of moves."
Julian spun around, his gun snapping toward my chest.
CRACK.
A single, precision shot from Marcus’s sniper rifle stationed on the guest cottage roof shattered the window behind Julian, striking his right shoulder with surgical accuracy. The impact spun him around, sending his pistol clattering across the hardwood floor.
Julian collapsed to his knees, clutching his shattered shoulder, howling in pain and fury.
I stepped forward, kicked the weapon down the hallway, and drove my knee hard into Julian’s spine, pinning him face-down against the floor. I pulled his arms behind his back, securing him with heavy zip-ties just as federal tactical agents swarmed the staircase.
Jessi dropped the fire poker. She fell to her knees, pulling Fiona into her arms as both of them sobbed tears of overwhelming relief.
I stood up, walked into the panic room, and wrapped my arms around both of them, pulling them tightly against my chest.
"It's over," I whispered, kissing Jessi's tear-stained cheek, then pressing my lips to Fiona's forehead. "You're safe. We're all safe."
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Fiona looked up at me, clutching the silver butterfly pendant around her neck. "I squeezed the wings, Daddy. Just like you told me."
"You saved us all, baby," I smiled through my own tears. "You're the bravest girl in the world."
