Chapter 2 - The Chief’s Orders
Marcus stared at the branded scar on Lily’s arm, feeling a cold fury ignite in his chest.
The letters etched into the child’s skin were crisp and unmistakable: VM-09.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed into slits as she saw Marcus reach for his handcuffs.
“Do not make a mistake you cannot survive, Reed,” Victoria warned in a low, dangerous whisper.
Her phone was already pressed to her ear, connected to an active call.
Before Marcus could touch his cuffs, his shoulder radio crackled violently to life.
“Officer Reed, stand down immediately,” the voice of Police Chief Henderson barked through the static.
Marcus grabbed his radio, his heart pounding against his ribs.
“Chief, you do not understand what I am looking at right now,” Marcus said into the receiver.
“I understand that you are harassing Mrs. Montgomery on a public street,” Henderson snapped back without hesitation.
“The girl has Clara Sterling’s locket drawn on the ground, and she has a brand on her skin,” Marcus argued, his voice shaking.
“You will detain the vagrant for vandalism and escort Mrs. Montgomery to her vehicle,” the Chief ordered coldly.
“Chief, this is evidence in a federal kidnapping case,” Marcus pleaded.
“If you disobey my direct order, Reed, you are terminated on the spot and facing felony obstruction charges,” Henderson replied.
The radio clicked dead.
Victoria gave Marcus a triumphant, mocking smile as her black town car pulled up to the curb.
“A wise man knows when he is outmatched, Officer,” Victoria whispered, turning toward the open car door.
Lily suddenly grabbed Marcus’s trouser leg, her small fingers clutching the fabric with desperate strength.
She reached deep inside her worn-out boot and pulled out a damp, crumpled scrap of lined paper.
She thrust it into Marcus’s palm, her wide brown eyes pleading for help.
Marcus smoothed out the paper and read the hurried handwriting: Clara is still breathing beneath the boathouse at Blackwood Lake.
Marcus looked back up, but Victoria was already disappearing into the tinted interior of her luxury sedan.
He made his decision in less than a second.
Marcus scooped the mute girl into his arms and ran straight toward his patrol cruiser parked at the corner.
He strapped Lily into the back seat and slammed the heavy cruiser door shut.
He jumped behind the steering wheel, locked all doors, and threw the vehicle into drive.
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Just as the tires screeched against the asphalt, a heavy black SUV accelerated through the red light ahead.
The reinforced bumper slammed violently into the side of Marcus’s cruiser, spinning the police car across the intersection.
