Chapter 4 - The Mother-in-Law's Secret
Patricia slowly walked down the wooden stairs, her expensive high heels clicking softly against the steps.
She did not look like the sweet, elderly grandmother who baked cookies for church bake sales.
She held the weapon with the cold, practiced precision of a seasoned killer.
Carter instantly stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his own.
He warned Patricia that killing a federal military officer would bring the entire weight of the US government down on her head.
Patricia laughed, a sharp and cruel sound that echoed off the basement walls.
She told Carter that a tragic home invasion gone wrong happens in affluent suburbs every single day.
I peered around Carter's shoulder, my anger finally overriding my absolute terror.
I demanded to know why they were doing this to me and why they wanted to take my daughter away.
Patricia sneered, looking at me as if I were nothing more than a pathetic insect.
She told me that Lily was the key to a massive offshore trust fund established by my late father.
I stared at her in confusion, arguing that my father was a broke mechanic who died when I was a teenager.
Patricia smiled a wicked, terrifying smile.
She revealed that the man who raised me was not my biological father at all.
She explained that my true father was a ruthless international arms dealer who had left billions in a hidden account.
Daniel was specifically assigned to marry me and produce an heir to legally access that money.
My entire life, my marriage, and my child were nothing but a long-term corporate acquisition for a crime syndicate.
Patricia raised the barrel of the suppressed pistol, aiming it squarely at Carter's head.
She said it was a shame we found out the truth, because now she had to accelerate the timeline.
Carter did not hesitate for a single second.
He threw his heavy tactical flashlight directly into Patricia's face, blinding her instantly.
The suppressed gun hissed, sending a bullet tearing through the sleeve of Carter's uniform.
Carter lunged forward, tackling the older woman to the ground and disarming her with a brutal twist of her wrist.
I scrambled to pick up the dropped weapon, my hands shaking violently.
Carter pinned Patricia to the floor, wrapping a heavy zip-tie around her wrists.
I pointed the gun at her, demanding to know where Daniel had taken my daughter.
Patricia spat blood onto the floor and smiled up at me with pure malice.
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She told me I was far too late to save my little girl.
She laughed as she revealed that Daniel’s private jet was already taxiing on the runway at the county airport.
