Chapter 4 - The Intimidation
Arthur marched through the house, keeping the shotgun angled out of sight behind the doorframe. Clara stood behind him, her heart hammering against her ribs, while Martha instinctively pulled Leo into the kitchen.
Arthur yanked the door open.
Standing on the porch was Elias Thorne.
He was a man in his late sixties, dressed in an immaculate charcoal suit that cost more than Arthur made in six months. He had a silver cane, perfectly groomed hair, and a smile that didn't reach his dead, reptilian eyes. Behind him, standing on the lawn, were two massive men in dark suits.
"Arthur," Thorne said smoothly, his voice dripping with condescension. "I noticed you weren't at roll call this morning. I came to check on my best floor manager."
"I'm using my sick hours, Elias," Arthur spat, refusing to open the screen door. "Now get off my porch."
Thorne’s eyes shifted, peering through the mesh screen to where Clara was standing in the hallway. His smile widened, revealing perfectly white, predatory teeth.
"Ah. The prodigal daughter returns," Thorne murmured. "Clara, isn't it? My, it’s been a long time. I heard a rumor in the breakroom that you brought a child home. A boy."
Clara stepped forward, her fear completely overshadowed by a surge of maternal rage. "His name is Leo. And he has nothing to do with you."
"Of course not," Thorne chuckled, leaning on his cane. "It’s just... the timeline is fascinating. Ten years ago, we lost a bright young man in a tragic furnace fire. A boy named David. And just weeks later, you vanished, entirely unannounced. People might start putting two and two together."
He leaned closer to the screen, dropping his voice to a menacing whisper. "Scranton is a dangerous town, Arthur. Accidents happen all the time. Industrial fires, car crashes... break-ins. I’d hate for tragedy to strike your family twice. You should encourage your daughter to take her bastard child and get back on the bus to wherever she came from. By tonight."
Arthur didn't say a word. He simply raised the barrel of the shotgun, leveling it directly at Thorne’s chest through the screen door.
"Get off my property," Arthur snarled, his finger resting dangerously close to the trigger. "Or the next accident in this town is going to be yours."
Thorne’s smile vanished. He stared at the gun, then at Arthur’s unblinking eyes. He knew a man who had nothing left to lose when he saw one.
"You're making a mistake, Arthur," Thorne sneered, stepping backward. "A fatal one."
He turned and walked back to his black SUV, his goons following closely behind.
May you like
As the car sped away, Clara let out a shaky breath.
"He knows we have leverage," Clara said. "He knows David must have left something behind. We need to find Locker 42."
