Chapter 9 - The Deadly Standoff
Liam froze in the doorway, staring at the silver gun pressed against his grandmother's fragile temple.
Eleanor sat in her velvet wheelchair, her eyes wide with absolute terror, completely unable to speak or move.
"You have lost, Clara, your brother is bleeding in a warehouse and the police are already on their way," Liam lied smoothly.
Claire flinched slightly at the sound of her real name, her finger twitching dangerously on the trigger.
"I do not care what happens to my idiot brother, I only care about the money you owe me for dealing with this pathetic family," Claire spat.
She demanded that Liam walk to the backup generator in the basement and restore the power immediately.
Liam took a slow step forward, keeping his hands raised to show he was completely unarmed.
"If you shoot her, the noise will bring every single guard who is still loyal to me running into this room," Liam warned.
Claire laughed, a sharp, unhinged sound that echoed against the high ceiling of the dark salon.
"Marcus already paid off the night shift, Liam, you are completely alone in this house with me," she boasted confidently.
Liam took another cautious step forward, carefully closing the distance between himself and the desperate woman.
He knew he only had one chance to disarm her before she realized he was getting too close.
"You are right, Clara, I am completely alone," Liam said, lowering his hands slowly to his sides.
He intentionally kicked a heavy crystal vase that was resting on a low coffee table near his foot.
The vase shattered loudly against the hardwood floor, causing Claire to jump in sudden shock.
The gun moved a fraction of an inch away from Eleanor's head as Claire instinctively looked toward the noise.
Liam lunged forward with explosive speed, grabbing the hot barrel of the gun and twisting it violently upward.
The weapon fired blindly into the ceiling, the deafening gunshot ringing in their ears as they crashed to the floor.
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Liam pinned the struggling woman to the Persian rug, ripping the weapon from her manicured hands and tossing it away.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of heavy zip-ties, and bound her wrists tightly behind her back.
