Chapter 2 - The Stranger in the House
My heart slammed against my ribs as I stared down the barrel of Richard's gun.
Richard had been my primary investor for the last five years, funding the expansion of my dog-training facility.
He was a respected local politician, a man who always wore expensive suits and a charming smile.
Now, that smile was gone, replaced by a ruthless, dead-eyed stare.
"You should have just stayed at the field, Grant," Richard said, stepping further into my home.
I pushed Tessa behind me, shielding her small body with my own.
"What the hell is going on here, Chloe?" I demanded, refusing to take my eyes off the weapon.
Chloe casually walked over to Richard and stood beside him, completely unfazed by the gun.
"We needed a clean front to wash campaign money, and your little dog business was perfect," Chloe explained coldly.
"But you were getting too suspicious of the accounting, so we had to accelerate our timeline."
My mind raced, trying to understand how the woman I married could be involved in a massive money-laundering syndicate.
She had left our children alone today to finalize their escape plan without any distractions.
"You are not walking out of here with my kids," I growled, calculating the distance between me and the kitchen knives.
Richard chuckled, a dry and raspy sound that echoed in the tense room.
"We do not want Tessa, but we are taking the baby," Richard stated flatly.
"He is the perfect prop to make us look like a happy, innocent family when we cross the border."
I gripped Miles tighter against my shoulder, pure adrenaline flooding my veins.
I had spent fifteen years training elite personal protection dogs, and I never went anywhere without my best asset.
I reached into my pocket and pressed the silent ultrasonic clicker I always carried.
For two agonizing seconds, absolutely nothing happened.
Richard raised his pistol, aiming directly at my forehead.
"Say goodbye to your family, Grant," he sneered, placing his finger on the trigger.
Suddenly, the massive glass patio door behind Richard shattered into a thousand pieces.
Titan, my highly trained Belgian Malinois, launched himself through the broken glass like a missile.
The eighty-pound dog clamped his massive jaws directly onto Richard's gun arm.
Richard screamed in agony, dropping the weapon as blood sprayed across the hardwood floor.
I grabbed Tessa by the hand and sprinted toward the garage, refusing to look back.
May you like
But as I threw open the garage door, I froze in absolute horror.
Standing next to my truck, holding a shotgun, was my trusted teenage assistant, Mark.
