Chapter 4 - The Empty House
The horrific truth of his words struck me with the force of a physical blow to the chest.
My beautiful, innocent boys were gone, stolen from the only safe place they had ever known.
James burst through the front door, sweeping the room with his rifle, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
He aimed the barrel directly at Silas's head, screaming at the men to drop their weapons immediately.
Silas did not even flinch, taking a slow sip of his whiskey as half a dozen laser sights painted James's chest.
"If I die, my men have strict orders to drop your sons into the deep end of the Chicago River," Silas threatened smoothly.
James froze, his finger trembling on the trigger as he realized we had completely lost the upper hand.
He slowly lowered the rifle, dropping it onto the hardwood floor with a heavy, defeated thud.
Silas smiled triumphantly, stepping forward and reaching out to take the pink bundle from my arms.
My heart stopped beating as his manicured hands grasped the heavy blanket containing the bag of flour.
He looked down at the bundle, his smug expression instantly vanishing as he felt the unnatural weight and texture.
Silas ripped the blanket open, revealing the flour, and his face contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.
"Where is the girl?" he roared, pulling a silver handgun from his jacket and pressing it against my forehead.
I squeezed my eyes shut, silently praying that the real baby would stay perfectly quiet in the car outside.
"She is safe, and you will never find her until I see my boys," James lied, stepping directly into the line of fire.
Silas glared at my husband, his finger tightening dangerously on the trigger of his weapon.
He ordered his men to search every inch of the property, including the vehicles parked in the driveway.
Panic seized my throat, knowing it would only take them seconds to find the baby hidden beneath the passenger seat.
I had to create a distraction, no matter what it cost me personally.
I grabbed the heavy glass whiskey decanter from the side table and smashed it directly across the face of the nearest guard.
The room erupted into absolute chaos as the guard fell backward, firing his weapon wildly into the ceiling.
James tackled Silas to the ground, engaging in a brutal, desperate struggle for the silver handgun.
I sprinted toward the front door, hoping to lead the remaining men away from the SUV where the baby was hiding.
I threw the front door open, nearly colliding with a figure standing silently on the front porch.
I looked up, expecting to see another one of Silas's mercenaries ready to execute me.
Instead, I saw my mother-in-law, Eleanor, holding a small remote control with a sinister smile on her face.
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"I always knew you would ruin this family, Sarah," she whispered coldly.
Eleanor pressed a single button on the remote, and our family SUV exploded into a massive ball of blinding fire.
