Chapter 8 - The True Mastermind
The recorded tape in the bag was a complete fake.
Ryan absolutely hadn't hired Marcus to save me; he had cleverly lured me into a false sense of security just to corner me in the open.
"You really thought my incredibly pathetic husband had the spine to actually defy me?" Linda mocked loudly, her cruel voice echoing across the empty pavement.
Marcus groaned heavily in pure pain beside me, clutching a dark, rapidly blooming bloodstain on his left shoulder.
"I explicitly told you not to trust them, Vance," Linda sneered, aiming her heavy rifle directly at Marcus’s head.
"You were simply supposed to deliver the baby to me and dispose of the mother, but you went incredibly soft."
Ryan stood silently beside his mother, his eyes completely hollow and dead to the world.
"Just give us Noah, Sarah, and we’ll make this very quick for you," Ryan said smoothly, stepping forward with his loaded pistol raised.
"You intentionally set me up," I whispered angrily to Marcus, feeling incredibly stupid for ever opening that bathroom door.
"No, I swear," Marcus choked out, spitting a mouthful of dark blood onto the rough concrete. "Ryan expertly made that fake tape to trick us both."
"Enough of this pointless talking!" Linda screamed violently, firing a loud warning shot that ricocheted off the asphalt inches from my foot.
Noah woke up instantly and began shrieking at the absolute top of his lungs, thoroughly terrified by the deafening gunshots.
"See, look at him? He's constantly crying again," Linda muttered angrily, her face twisting rapidly into that familiar, psychotic mask.
"He's completely defective, Ryan, just exactly like your whiny brother was."
"I know, Mom, I see it now," Ryan said softly, his voice devoid of emotion. "We'll purify him together when we get home."
I realized in that exact, horrifying moment that Ryan was genuinely just as insane and broken as his mother.
He hadn't been protecting me at all; he had been protecting his wealthy family's horrific secret until they could successfully replace my baby.
"Take the truck right now," Marcus suddenly whispered directly into my ear, fighting through his immense pain.
Before I could ask what on earth he meant, Marcus pulled a hidden, silver revolver quickly from his ankle holster.
He rolled surprisingly fast onto his back and fired three rapid, deafening shots directly toward Linda and Ryan.
They both dove frantically behind the black sedan for cover, screaming loudly in surprise as bullets hit the metal car.
"Go, take the baby and drive!" Marcus yelled loudly, shoving me toward the running SUV with his one good arm.
I didn't hesitate or look back for a second.
I scrambled wildly into the driver's seat, threw the heavy truck into drive, and slammed the accelerator entirely to the floor.
The heavy SUV roared loudly to life, its partially blown-out tires sparking fiercely against the rough concrete as it gained traction.
I sped frantically out of the gas station just as a fresh volley of bullets completely shattered the rear windshield of the truck.
I drove blindly into the dark, freezing Texas night, the cold wind whipping violently through the broken windows and tearing at my hair.
I had the solid evidence, I had my precious baby, and I finally knew the absolute, terrifying truth about my husband.
I just needed to desperately find a federal FBI office before Ryan and Linda could track my bleeding, damaged vehicle.
I drove dangerously fast for ten miles before the bright flashing lights of a massive police barricade completely blocked the highway ahead.
I slammed hard on the brakes, realizing quickly there was absolutely no way to drive around the heavy concrete barriers lining the road.
A dozen armed officers stepped out into the headlights with their weapons drawn, aiming directly at my cracked windshield.
I slowly raised my shaking hands in defeat, hot tears of utter despair falling rapidly down my cheeks.
An officer approached the window cautiously, shining a blindingly bright flashlight directly into my swollen eyes.
"Are you Sarah Cole?" the stern officer asked, keeping his heavy gun pointed firmly at my chest.
"Yes, it's me," I sobbed loudly, fully preparing to be arrested and handed directly back to my psychopathic mother-in-law.
May you like
The officer slowly lowered his weapon and abruptly turned his blinding flashlight off.
"My name is Detective Ramirez, and I've been patiently waiting for you to find that locked drawer for three long years."
