Chapter 6 - The Hostage
My father slowly walked toward me with the deadly weapon raised and perfectly steady.
The cold metal of the revolver gleamed menacingly under the bright library chandeliers.
"Hand over those documents right now, Claire," he demanded with a vicious snarl.
I took a slow step backward until my spine hit the towering wooden bookshelf.
"You are not my real father," I stated bravely despite the terrifying situation.
He let out a hollow, cruel laugh that sent shivers completely down my spine.
"I took everything from your real father, including his pathetic little daughter," he mocked.
"You will spend the rest of your life in a federal prison for this," I warned him.
He cocked the hammer of the silver revolver with a sharp, intimidating click.
"I will simply tell the police that you broke in to steal my money and I acted in self-defense."
Suddenly, the wailing sound of multiple police sirens echoed from the snowy driveway outside.
Red and blue emergency lights flashed brilliantly through the tall library windows.
David Callahan, the bank manager, had kept his promise and called the authorities to save me.
"The police are already here, Richard!" I shouted to break his intense focus.
My father glanced toward the window for a fraction of a second.
He gritted his teeth and grabbed me violently by my coat collar.
He pressed the cold barrel of the gun directly against my temple.
"If I am going down today, I am making absolutely sure that you die with me," he whispered into my ear.
The heavy library doors suddenly rattled as the police began trying to breach the room.
My father dragged me toward the burning fireplace to throw the remaining evidence into the flames.
Before he could reach the fire, a heavy glass vase shattered violently across the back of his skull.
My father groaned in pain and collapsed onto the expensive Persian rug.
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I spun around to see who had just saved my life.
Standing there with a piece of broken glass in her hand was my cousin Brittany.
