Chapter 6 - The Woods of Betrayal
I threw my arm up to shield my eyes from the blinding high beams.
A dark figure stepped out of the idling vehicle and walked purposefully toward us.
It was Alexander Vance.
"Dad," Renata cried out, running into her father's protective embrace.
I collapsed onto the cold dirt, clutching my bleeding arm in sheer agony.
Alexander rushed over to me and quickly tied his silk necktie around my wound as a tourniquet.
"I received the alert from the security company that the estate went into lockdown," Alexander explained.
"Beatrice tried to kill us, and Sebastian pulled a gun on her," Renata said breathlessly.
"We need to get to the police right now," I urged, wincing as he tightened the makeshift bandage.
Alexander looked down at me with a deeply sorrowful expression.
"The local police chief has been on Richard's payroll for over a decade," Alexander revealed.
"Then how do we stop them from getting away with this?" I asked desperately.
"We need the original adoption records and Eleanor's stolen will," he stated firmly.
"I know exactly where Richard keeps his most sensitive documents," I told him.
For twenty-seven years, I had dusted Richard's private study every single day.
I knew he hid a small biometric safe behind the large oil painting of his grandfather.
"We have to go back inside the house before Richard returns from the country club," I insisted.
Alexander shook his head, refusing to put his daughter in any more danger.
"I am going back in alone, Mariana," Alexander said, pulling a heavy flashlight from his trunk.
"You do not know the security laser patterns in the hallway," I argued fiercely.
Before we could debate the plan any further, a dark shadow emerged from the trees.
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Richard Sterling stepped into the headlights, holding a high-powered hunting rifle.
"Nobody is going anywhere," my adoptive father said with a wicked smile.
