Chapter 9 - The Final Catch
My arm screamed in agonizing pain as I held Lumi's dangling weight over the terrifying drop.
"Hold on tightly, sweetheart, Daddy has you!" I grunted, my muscles shaking violently from the immense strain.
Maris stood directly above me, a twisted smile of absolute victory plastered across her soot-stained face.
"Goodbye, Gideon," she whispered coldly, lifting her heavy boot to crush my desperate fingers.
Before her foot could connect with my hand, a massive explosion rocked the burning house.
The heavy structural beam above the balcony completely splintered and crashed downward in a shower of sparks.
The burning timber struck Maris violently across the back, knocking her entirely off balance.
She screamed in pure terror as she tumbled backward, plummeting over the railing and disappearing into the dark, rocky ravine below.
The violent impact of the falling beam also shattered the remaining floorboards beneath my own chest.
I felt myself slipping rapidly into the abyss, unable to pull both of us back up to safety.
Suddenly, a strong, calloused hand clamped firmly onto my belt from the burning hallway.
Marcus had braved the inferno, bracing his feet against the doorframe to anchor us completely.
With an almighty roar of effort, he hauled me backward onto the relatively stable floor of the interior landing.
I dragged Lumi securely into my chest, wrapping my body around her as the rest of the balcony finally gave way.
We scrambled desperately down the collapsing staircase, choking on the thick smoke as we burst through the front door.
We collapsed onto the wet grass of the front lawn just as the entire roof of the house caved in completely.
The blaring sirens of approaching fire trucks and police cruisers filled the quiet suburban neighborhood.
Dozens of armed officers swarmed the property, shouting orders and securing the chaotic scene.
Marcus immediately handed the metal lockbox of evidence directly to the lead detective on the scene.
The detective opened the box, verifying the stolen identities and the lethal drugs in a matter of seconds.
An officer ran up from the edge of the dark ravine, shining his flashlight into the deep canyon.
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"We found the woman at the bottom of the rocks, she is still breathing but she isn't going anywhere," the officer reported.
The nightmare of Maris and her deadly deception was officially, entirely over.
