Chapter 5 - The Stolen Badge
I froze in absolute disbelief as my stepmother racked the shotgun with a terrifying, metallic click.
She was supposed to be in a hospital bed under heavy police guard right now.
"Money can buy a lot of favors in a small town," she sneered, noticing my confusion.
She had clearly paid off someone at the hospital to escape and steal the cruiser.
Mark crawled out of the wrecked truck, bleeding from a cut on his forehead.
"I brought them just like you asked, now give me the money!" Mark yelled desperately from the ditch.
My stepmother didn't even look at him when she pulled the trigger.
The blast echoed through the quiet woods, and Mark collapsed backward into the mud, screaming in agony.
She turned the smoking barrel of the weapon back toward me and my crying newborn.
"Now it is just us, exactly how I planned from the very beginning," she smiled wickedly.
I backed away slowly, clutching the baby carrier against my chest like a shield.
"Why are you doing this?" I pleaded, trying to buy just a few seconds of time.
"Because as long as that child breathes, you control the inheritance from your dead mother," she spat bitterly.
She raised the shotgun to her shoulder and aimed directly at my face.
I closed my eyes and prepared for the absolute worst.
Suddenly, a massive spotlight flicked on from the dense tree line directly behind her.
"Drop the weapon right now, or I will end you," a booming voice commanded through a megaphone.
It was the young deputy from earlier, stepping out from the shadows with his service weapon drawn.
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He hadn't been bought off, and he had been tracking the stolen cruiser's GPS the entire time.
My stepmother cursed loudly and spun around, firing a blind shot toward the bright spotlight.
