Chapter 4 - The Midnight Visitor
I gripped the heavy wooden doorframe so tightly my old knuckles popped loudly.
The tall, heavily scarred man stepped slightly out of the dark shadows, the moonlight illuminating a massive, wicked hunting knife securely strapped to his tactical belt.
I didn't aggressively scream or blindly run down the stairs like a terrified victim.
I was seventy-one years old, and I had absolutely zero patience left for people breaking into my home.
"Get entirely out of my house before I officially shoot you," I stated firmly, my voice completely devoid of any fear.
The man let out a low, incredibly harsh chuckle, taking a slow step toward me.
"You don't actively own a gun, Rachel," he said confidently.
"Daniel officially told me absolutely everything about this house."
He was entirely right; I didn't own a gun, but I absolutely refused to let him know I was completely defenseless.
"Daniel is a pathetic, desperate liar who is currently rotting in a jail cell," I replied smoothly, slowly backing out into the bright hallway.
"Who exactly are you, and what do you want?"
"My name is Marcus, and Daniel owes my employers a massive amount of money," he explained coldly.
"Since you entirely ruined the massive real estate payout today, I am officially here to aggressively collect the debt directly from you."
I scoffed loudly, crossing my arms entirely defensively.
"I don't owe you or your dangerous employers a single red cent."
"You aggressively owe us exactly two million dollars, Rachel," Marcus stated, entirely stepping out of the bedroom.
"And if you don't officially sign the property deed over to Vanguard Developments tomorrow morning, I will actively burn this house entirely to the ground with you inside it."
He wasn't just a simple loan shark; he was a ruthless corporate mercenary actively working for Victoria Vance.
"You are completely insane if you actually think you can intimidate me," I stated aggressively.
Marcus suddenly lunged completely forward with terrifying, lethal speed, violently grabbing me by the throat and slamming me aggressively against the hallway wall.
My breath caught painfully in my lungs as he squeezed tightly, entirely lifting me slightly off the floor.
"You are an incredibly fragile old woman, Rachel," he whispered entirely into my ear, his breath smelling heavily of cheap whiskey and dark smoke.
"Sign the paperwork tomorrow, or I will officially come back and aggressively snap your neck."
He abruptly dropped me completely onto the floor, stepping entirely over my gasping body.
He casually walked heavily down the stairs and aggressively let himself out the front door, leaving it completely wide open.
I sat on the hallway floor for a very long time, entirely rubbing my deeply bruised throat and gasping for clean air.
They actually thought I was just a weak, pathetic widow who would completely crumble under aggressive violence.
They completely underestimated exactly who I was before I ever became a quiet suburban housewife.
I slowly stood up, locking the heavy front door completely securely.
I walked directly into my late husband’s dusty office and aggressively pulled out the bottom drawer of his heavy oak desk.
I unlocked a hidden, heavy steel strongbox that hadn't been completely opened in forty long years.
Inside rested a pristine, heavily oiled, military-grade tactical handgun and three fully loaded magazines.
I had heavily lied to Daniel for his entire life; Robert was not the only one in the family who had actively served in special operations.
I smoothly chambered a heavy round, feeling the familiar, cold steel entirely in my grip.
My cell phone suddenly buzzed violently on the desk.
May you like
I answered it, expecting another aggressive, terrifying threat from Marcus.
"Mom, please, you have to completely help me!" Daniel screamed hysterically through the phone, the loud sounds of a violent prison riot echoing entirely in the background.
