Chapter 9 - Sirens in Atherton
Distracted by the crashing gates, Beatrice flinched. That was all I needed.
I lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the revolver and forcing it upward. The gun fired into the air, the gunshot echoing like thunder. I twisted her wrist sharply, forcing her to drop the weapon, and shoved her to the ground.
I scooped Chloe up in my arms, shielding her with my body as Marcus and two other armed guards leaped from the SUV, weapons drawn, surrounding Beatrice.
“Don't move!” Marcus commanded.
In the distance, the wail of police sirens grew louder. The local Atherton police, alerted by the gunshot and Marcus’s emergency beacon, swarmed the driveway.
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Beatrice, realizing she was utterly defeated, stopped fighting. The mask of the sophisticated, wealthy widow melted away, leaving only a bitter, hollow woman. She glared at me as the officers slapped handcuffs on her wrists.
Emily ran out of the house, tears streaming down her face, and threw her arms around Chloe and me. We stood together as a family, holding tightly to one another as the police dragged the monster away from our home.
