Chapter 6 - The Interrogation
Heavy combat boots pounded against the wet pavement as heavily armored SWAT officers swarmed the alleyway.
I instantly dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms defensively around my crying children to shield them from the blinding tactical lights.
"Do not shoot! They are just babies!" I screamed, closing my eyes and preparing for the worst.
Rough hands grabbed my shoulders, forcefully ripping Ethan and Noah away from my grasp despite their hysterical screams.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Noah cried out, reaching his little hands toward me as an officer carried him away.
I fought wildly, kicking and clawing at the officers, but a heavy blow to the back of my head sent me crashing into the dirty asphalt.
When I finally regained consciousness, I was handcuffed to a freezing metal table inside a bleak, windowless interrogation room.
My head throbbed violently, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agonizing absence of my children.
The heavy steel door creaked open, and a tall, sharp-featured detective walked in, tossing a thick manila folder onto the table.
"Mara Bennett, you are facing multiple federal charges, including armed kidnapping, extortion, and child endangerment," the detective stated coldly.
"Where are my sons?" I demanded, rattling the heavy handcuffs against the metal table.
The detective ignored my question, opening the folder to reveal a stack of glossy photographs.
They were pictures of the safehouse, showing a massive pool of blood on the floorboards where Damien had fought the mercenaries.
"Damien Mercer was found critically wounded at the scene, and you are the only suspect," the detective said, leaning over the table.
My breath hitched in my throat as hot tears streamed down my face.
"I didn't hurt him! His mother's private security team attacked us!" I pleaded desperately.
The detective chuckled, a dark, unsympathetic sound that made my blood run cold.
"Evelyn Mercer is a pillar of this community, and she has already provided sworn witness testimony that you demanded ten million dollars for her son's safe return."
I realized then that Evelyn had truly bought every single person in this precinct.
"You have to check his laptop! The proof of her fraud is all on his encrypted hard drive!" I begged, hoping the detective had a shred of integrity.
The detective stared at me for a long moment before slowly closing the manila folder.
"We did check the laptop, Ms. Bennett," he said softly, his tone suddenly dropping its hostile edge.
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"That is exactly why I need you to remain completely silent for the next ten minutes."
The detective walked over to the security camera in the corner of the room and deliberately covered the lens with a piece of black tape.
