Chapter 7 - A Desperate Gambit
I jerked my hand away from the deadbolt as if it were on fire.
The voice outside mimicked my brother again, but the cadence was horribly wrong.
It was a recording playing through a speaker.
Panic threatened to swallow me whole.
I backed away from the door, gripping the heavy ceramic lid tightly.
The scraping at the window grew louder.
The frosted glass shattered inward, raining sparkling shards into the bathtub.
My niece let out a piercing scream.
I dropped the lid and lunged toward the tub, pulling the shower curtain back.
A man dressed entirely in black was climbing through the broken window.
He reached for the crying child with a gloved hand.
I grabbed the intruder by the collar of his jacket and yanked him forward with everything I had.
He lost his balance, tumbling headfirst onto the wet bathroom tile.
His head struck the edge of the vanity with a sickening crack, and he lay still.
I scooped my niece out of the tub and held her tight.
Suddenly, the sharp wail of police sirens pierced the night air.
Blue and red lights flashed through the shattered window, illuminating the room.
May you like
The aunt shouted triumphantly from the hallway.
She yelled that the police were here, and she had already told them I was a deranged kidnapper.
