Chapter 8 - The Escape Route
The sudden blast of the police megaphone shattered the tense silence in the room.
Red and blue emergency lights flashed brilliantly through the thin curtains of the guest bedroom.
David panicked, taking a terrified step back toward the locked door.
"They cannot find me in here with a gun," David whispered frantically.
"If I go to prison, the cartel will kill my entire family to collect my debts."
I saw an immediate opportunity to turn the tables on my dangerous brother-in-law.
"Give me the gun, David, and I will show you a way out of here," I offered quickly.
David looked at me, then looked at the flashing lights outside, completely torn by fear.
He reluctantly handed me the heavy, suppressed pistol.
I immediately checked the magazine, ensuring the weapon was fully loaded.
"There is an old storm cellar hatch hidden under the rug in the laundry room," I told him.
"It leads directly out to the drainage ditch behind the property line."
David nodded quickly and unlocked the bedroom door to make his escape.
As soon as he stepped out into the dark hallway, I slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.
"Marcus, what are you doing?" David hissed angrily through the solid wood.
"I am saving myself," I replied coldly.
I grabbed the burner phone and the empty blood bags, stuffing them into my jacket pockets.
I heard the heavy front door of the house being forced open by the police tactical team.
Heavy boots pounded against the hardwood floors of the living room.
I heard Detective Vance shouting orders to clear every single room in the house.
I quickly opened the guest room window and climbed out onto the sloping roof of the garage.
I slid down the cold shingles and dropped silently into the thick bushes below.
I stayed completely hidden in the shadows as the police dragged a screaming David out the front door in handcuffs.
I waited until the police cruisers were entirely distracted by the arrest before slipping away into the darkness.
I walked for three miles until I reached an all-night diner on the edge of the highway.
I ordered a black coffee and sat in a booth located in the darkest corner of the restaurant.
I pulled out Lauren's burner phone and scrolled through the deleted data using a recovery app I downloaded.
I found a hidden folder containing GPS coordinates for a rental property located fifty miles outside the city.
The property was registered under the name Olivia Vance.
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I stared at the name on the screen in absolute disbelief.
Olivia, the actress Lauren had hired to seduce me, shared the exact same last name as the detective hunting me.
