Chapter 6 - The Interrogation
I flinched violently, fully expecting a burning bullet to tear through my skull.
Instead, I opened my eyes to see the silver pistol fall from Vanessa's shattered, bleeding hand.
Detective Hayes stood in the doorway, smoke still drifting lazily from the barrel of his service weapon.
Vanessa screamed in excruciating agony, clutching her ruined hand as she collapsed to her knees.
I sprinted past her and began frantically untying the thick ropes binding my terrified nephew.
Leo hugged me incredibly tightly, sobbing into my shoulder as the pure adrenaline finally wore off.
"You are completely safe now, Leo," I whispered, kissing the top of his messy hair.
Detective Hayes walked forward and kicked Vanessa's dropped weapon far away across the warehouse floor.
He pulled a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt and forcefully restrained the screaming woman.
"Vanessa, you are under arrest for kidnapping, attempted murder, and massive corporate fraud," Hayes announced loudly.
She looked up at me with eyes full of venomous, unrepentant hatred.
"You think you have won, but you have absolutely no idea who you are dealing with," she spat aggressively.
I completely ignored her pathetic threats and helped Leo walk outside to the waiting police cruiser.
Dozens of squad cars and emergency ambulances arrived shortly after, swarming the shipping docks with flashing lights.
Vanessa was aggressively shoved into the back of a transport van and taken to the maximum security lockup.
I rode with Leo to the hospital, praying that my brother was still fighting for his life in the intensive care unit.
When we arrived, a kind doctor informed us that the antidote had worked and Ryan was finally stabilizing.
We sat by his hospital bed for hours, holding his hands until he finally opened his tired eyes.
Ryan smiled weakly at his son, tears of absolute joy spilling quietly down his pale cheeks.
"We finally beat her, Clara," Ryan whispered, his voice raspy from the medical tubes.
I smiled back, feeling a profound, overwhelming sense of relief wash over my exhausted body.
The terrible nightmare was finally over, and my family was completely safe from Vanessa's wrath.
Just as I stood up to get a cup of coffee from the hallway, Detective Hayes walked into the hospital room.
He did not look happy or relieved, but rather completely terrified and pale.
"Vanessa never made it to the police station," the detective stated in a grave, shaking voice.
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"What do you mean she never made it?" I asked, my heart instantly dropping into my stomach.
"The transport van was ambushed on the highway, and she has completely vanished into thin air."
