Chapter 2 - The Ambush
The cold steel of the handcuffs clicked loudly against Claire’s wrists.
Ava screamed and tried to run toward her mother, but Paige stepped forward and grabbed the little girl by the arm.
Claire fought back her tears and begged the officer to check the dispatch records for the video she had uploaded to the emergency server.
Officer Miller shook his head and forcefully pushed Claire against the side of the police cruiser.
Suddenly, a black unmarked sedan sped into the driveway and slammed on its brakes.
Detective Owens stepped out of the vehicle holding a waterproof tablet in his right hand.
He held up his badge and ordered Officer Miller to release Claire immediately.
Owens turned the tablet around and played the crystal-clear security footage showing Paige crawling under the Honda with wire cutters.
Margaret’s face turned completely pale as she realized the local server backup had bypassed her immediate network deletion.
Officer Miller quickly unlocked the handcuffs and stepped away from Claire with an apologetic expression.
Claire rushed forward and pulled Ava into a tight, desperate embrace.
Paige began to cry, screaming that Margaret had forced her to tamper with the brakes under threat of eviction.
Detective Owens told Margaret to place her hands behind her back because she was under arrest for attempted murder.
Before anyone could move, a massive luxury SUV turned off the main road and blocked the entire driveway.
The heavy door swung open, and David Donovan stepped out into the freezing rain.
He was Claire’s wealthy, abusive ex-husband who had sworn he would never let her leave the state.
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He held up a freshly stamped legal document bearing the signature of a county judge.
David smiled warmly at the police officers and calmly stated that he was there to take emergency custody of his daughter.
