Chapter 4 - The Framed Fugitive
I slammed my elbow directly into Marcus's wrist before he could fire the deadly weapon.
The suppressed gun clicked wildly, and a stray bullet shattered the glass of a nearby fire extinguisher cabinet.
I drove my knee hard into his ribs, forcing him to drop the weapon entirely.
Hospital security guards burst into the hallway, yelling at us to completely freeze.
Marcus immediately raised his hands and pointed a trembling finger directly at me.
"Help me!" Marcus screamed like a terrified, innocent victim.
"He just tried to shoot me because I found out he was abusing his pregnant wife!"
The security guards drew their tasers, keeping their sights locked completely on my chest.
I knew exactly how this would look to an outside observer.
My mother had likely planted fake evidence in our house to frame me as the ultimate domestic abuser.
If I stayed to argue, I would be arrested, and Maya would be left completely unprotected.
I kicked the dropped handgun down the hallway and sprinted through the open stairwell door.
I ran down four flights of stairs, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my bruised ribs.
I burst out of the hospital's side exit and disappeared into the rainy city night.
I needed a secure place to plan my next move, so I headed to a cheap motel across town.
I pulled out my phone to aggressively check my personal and business banking accounts.
Every single account I owned had been completely drained and permanently frozen.
Marcus had used his executive access to steal millions of dollars from our joint firm.
He and my mother had orchestrated a massive financial heist, planning to use Maya's tragic death as the perfect cover.
My phone suddenly vibrated with an incoming text from an unknown, heavily encrypted number.
It was a live video feed of my own house, heavily surrounded by flashing police cruisers.
A caption appeared at the bottom of the terrifying video clip.
May you like
"We found the fake journals you supposedly wrote, Caleb," the anonymous message read.
"The police are currently issuing a city-wide manhunt for your immediate arrest on attempted murder charges."
