Chapter 9 - The Decoy
Detective Miller stared at Clara as if she had completely lost her mind.
"I am not opening that door, they will gun you down the second you step outside," Miller argued fiercely.
Clara completely ignored his protests and reached into the heavy tactical bag resting on the metal table.
She pulled out a thick, Kevlar bulletproof vest and strapped it tightly over her bloodstained maternity clothes.
"I am not going out there to surrender, I am going out there to buy us five minutes," Clara stated firmly.
She gently kissed her baby's forehead and handed the precious bundle carefully to Violet.
"Keep your brother safe, sweetie, I will be right back," Clara promised with a reassuring smile.
She grabbed a heavy, fully loaded revolver from the table and hid it securely behind her back.
Miller reluctantly unlocked the massive steel deadbolts and slowly pushed the heavy door open.
Clara stepped out into the blinding glare of a dozen vehicle headlights completely surrounding the clearing.
Gabriel and Samantha were standing confidently in front of the heavily armed mercenary squad.
"I always knew you were a completely weak, pathetic martyr," Gabriel sneered as she walked toward them.
Clara stopped exactly ten feet away from her corrupt husband, her chin held incredibly high.
"You are never going to touch my children, Gabriel," Clara declared with absolute venom in her voice.
Samantha laughed aloud, a cruel and entirely grating sound that echoed through the dark trees.
"You have absolutely no leverage here, Clara, you have already lost everything," Samantha mocked.
Clara smiled a cold, terrifying smile that entirely wiped the smug expression completely off Gabriel's face.
"I know you are completely sterile, Gabriel, and I know exactly what you did to my IVF treatments," Clara revealed loudly.
The cartel mercenaries standing behind Gabriel suddenly lowered their heavy weapons in absolute confusion.
Gabriel had promised his dangerous investors a legitimate biological heir to unlock the trust fund money.
If the baby was not biologically his, the massive criminal syndicate would never get their promised millions.
"She is lying to save her own pathetic life!" Gabriel screamed, completely panicking as his own men turned against him.
The distraction was entirely perfect, giving the computer inside the bunker the exact time it needed.
The heavy steel door of the bunker swung open, and Mr. Hayes held up his glowing cell phone.
"The encrypted files have been successfully received by the FBI director, it is entirely over!" Mr. Hayes shouted.
Gabriel realized his entire lavish empire was completely crumbling into dust right before his eyes.
In a final act of pure, unhinged madness, Gabriel raised his silver pistol directly at Clara's chest.
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"If I cannot have the millions, you do not get to live happily ever after!" Gabriel roared.
He pulled the heavy trigger, and a deafening gunshot violently shattered the tense silence of the forest.
