Chapter 7 - The Trap Is Set
I watched the security monitor in my dark living room as the three armed men approached my porch.
Ryan stood behind them in the shadows, smoking a cigarette with absolute, terrifying calm.
Elena loaded a heavy hunting shotgun she had found locked in Ryan's office cabinet.
"They are going to kick the front door in," Elena whispered, racking the weapon loudly in the dark.
Vanessa was hiding in the upstairs bathroom, clutching her cell phone with 911 already dialed.
We had deliberately left the front gate unlocked to lure them directly into the narrow hallway.
Suddenly, a massive crash echoed through the house as the front door was kicked off its hinges.
The three goons stepped into the foyer, their weapons raised and sweeping the empty room with flashlights.
"Find them and make it look like a home invasion gone wrong," Ryan ordered from the porch.
I was hiding behind the kitchen island, gripping a heavy cast-iron frying pan with both hands.
The first armed man walked slowly into the kitchen, his flashlight beam missing me by inches.
I waited until he stepped directly onto the slippery rug I had soaked in cooking oil.
His heavy boots lost traction instantly, and he fell backward with a loud, painful crash.
Before he could recover, I swung the cast-iron pan and struck him hard across the temple.
He went completely limp, dropping his weapon onto the tile floor.
The loud noise immediately alerted the other two men in the living room.
They rushed toward the kitchen, raising their guns to fire at me.
A deafening blast echoed through the house as Elena fired the shotgun into the ceiling above their heads.
Plaster and wood rained down on the attackers, blinding them temporarily with thick white dust.
"Drop the guns right now!" Elena screamed, aiming the barrel directly at their chests.
The two men hesitated, unsure if they wanted to die for a paycheck.
While they were distracted by Elena, Ryan slipped silently through the broken back door.
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I turned around just in time to see him raise a silver pistol directly at my head.
"Put the pan down, Chloe, or I blow your brains out," Ryan sneered.
