Chapter 9 - The Grandfather's Wrath
I pull Lily tight against my chest, shielding her from the weapon. The armed men step forward, forcing us back into the pediatric suite. "Hand over the baby, and sign the estate transfer," the leader demands. He tosses a crumpled legal document onto the hospital bed. Grandpa steps in front of me, completely unfazed by the gun. "You made a very foolish mistake coming here, Victor," Grandpa says smoothly. The man named Victor hesitates, clearly shocked that Grandpa knows his name. "How do you know who I am?" Victor snarls. Grandpa reaches into his coat and pulls out a shiny silver badge. It is not a police badge, but the insignia of a retired federal judge. "I spent forty years putting men like you in federal prison," Grandpa states. He presses a hidden panic button on his specialized wristwatch. The glass windows of the pediatric suite suddenly shatter inward. A heavily armed SWAT team descends from tactical ropes attached to the roof. Flashbang grenades detonate, filling the room with blinding light and deafening sound. I turn my back, protecting Lily's sensitive ears from the blast. When the smoke finally clears, Victor and his men are face-down on the floor in handcuffs. Grandpa straightens his tie and looks down at the defeated criminals. "Never threaten my family again," he says with absolute finality. Suddenly, a police officer runs into the room with an urgent message. "Sir, we just breached the house, but your mother and Marcus are gone."
