Chapter 5 - The Precinct Trap
Ethan pushed Claire forcefully behind a heavy wooden desk as the chief raised his weapon.
"You do not want to do this, Chief," Ethan warned, his voice dangerously calm.
"Vivian wants the girl back, and she wants you buried in the woods," the chief replied.
The desk sergeant pulled his service pistol and flanked them from the left.
Ethan knew he could not buy his way out of a town entirely owned by the Ashfords.
He reached down to his wrist and pressed a hidden distress button on his luxury watch.
It was a silent alarm connected directly to his private security team in New York.
But he needed to keep them both alive until help arrived.
Ethan grabbed a heavy bronze paperweight from the desk.
He hurled it with deadly precision directly at the overhead fluorescent light.
The bulb exploded, plunging the small room into total darkness.
The chief fired his shotgun blindly, blowing a massive hole in the wooden desk.
Ethan used the deafening noise to mask his movement.
He lunged through the darkness and tackled the desk sergeant to the floor.
He disarmed the panicked officer and struck him hard across the jaw, knocking him unconscious.
Ethan aimed the stolen pistol at the glowing silhouette of the police chief.
"Drop the shotgun or I will put a bullet between your eyes," Ethan commanded.
The chief hesitated, then slowly lowered his weapon to the floor.
Ethan grabbed a set of handcuffs and secured the chief to a heavy iron radiator.
"Let's go," Ethan whispered, grabbing Claire's hand and pulling her toward the back exit.
They ran into the alley and stole a running police cruiser from the lot.
Ethan sped out of the small town, finally reaching the desolate interstate highway.
Claire sat in the passenger seat, staring at the flashing lights on the dashboard.
She looked terrified, completely overwhelmed by the violence she had just witnessed.
Ethan reached over and squeezed her hand, trying to offer comfort.
Suddenly, the police radio crackled to life with an emergency broadcast.
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"All units be advised, billionaire Ethan Hale is armed and dangerous."
"He has kidnapped a mentally unstable woman and murdered the Briar Glen police chief."
