Chapter 4 - The Unwelcome Guest
The massive man stepped fully into my hallway, closing the heavy oak door behind him.
Brandon physically shrank back, his bravado entirely evaporating in the presence of real danger.
The man introduced himself as Marcus, a private lender who did not operate through legal banking channels.
Marcus explained that Jessica had borrowed heavily from his criminal syndicate using my house as collateral.
He slowly walked around my foyer, admiring the expensive artwork with a predatory gleam in his eye.
He stated that he did not care about family drama or forged signatures.
He only cared about getting his money back by midnight, or my son would not live to see tomorrow.
I felt a cold wave of terror wash over me, but I refused to let him see me tremble.
I reached into the drawer of the entry table and pulled out a heavy brass letter opener.
I told Marcus that he had exactly ten seconds to leave my property before I triggered the silent panic alarm.
Marcus chuckled, stepping closer to me and completely ignoring my makeshift weapon.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, remote-controlled device.
He pressed a button, and the security panel on my wall instantly went completely dead.
Marcus sneered and said Jessica had given him the master override codes to my entire security system.
He gave Brandon a violent shove against the wall, promising to return at midnight.
The dangerous man slipped out the front door, leaving us in a terrifying silence.
Brandon collapsed onto the stairs, burying his face in his trembling hands.
I walked over to the security panel to see how Jessica could have possibly compromised my system.
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I noticed a tiny, glowing red light hidden right behind the digital keypad.
I pulled the plastic cover off and found a sophisticated hidden camera transmitting our every move.
