Chapter 6 - The Desperation
Desperation makes people stupid.
It was a Tuesday evening, raining as it always did in Seattle. I was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for dinner. Maya was in the living room, sitting on the rug, coloring in a brand-new princess book. She still hadn't spoken, but the tension had left her shoulders. She smiled now. She ate. The bruises were fading to faint yellow shadows.
The security alert on my phone chimed softly.
Perimeter Breach: Back Gate.
I didn't panic. I calmly set the knife down, wiped my hands on a towel, and walked to the living room.
"Maya, sweetie," I said, keeping my voice light. "Mama needs to check on something outside. Go to your safe room, okay? Take your crayons."
Maya looked at me, nodded, and trotted off to the reinforced panic room I had installed near the master bedroom. Once I heard the heavy steel door click locked, my demeanor shifted.
I reached under the kitchen island counter and withdrew my service weapon, a sleek Glock 19. I clicked off the safety.
I moved silently through the dark dining room, pressing my back against the wall near the sliding glass patio doors. A shadow was fumbling with the lock. A rock smashed through the glass near the handle, and a hand reached in to unlatch it.
The door slid open, bringing in the smell of rain, cheap whiskey, and desperation.
Julian stepped into the house, holding a tire iron.
He didn't make it two steps.
I stepped out of the shadows, grabbed his wrist, twisted it sharply, and drove my knee into his ribs. Julian gasped, dropping the tire iron as it clattered against the hardwood. I spun him around, slammed him face-first into the drywall, and pressed the cold barrel of the Glock against the base of his skull.
"Give me one reason, Julian," I whispered into his ear. "Give me one reason to pull this trigger and claim self-defense. God knows I want to."
"Clara! Clara, stop!" he sobbed, his body shaking uncontrollably against the wall. "I didn't come to hurt you! I swear! I just... I needed money. The loan sharks... Chloe’s guys from Vegas... they found me. They think I have your money!"
I stepped back, keeping the gun trained on his chest. He turned around, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, pathetic and broken.
May you like
"You broke into a federal agent's home while out on bail for child endangerment," I said, shaking my head. "You really are an idiot."
I pulled out my phone with my left hand and dialed the local precinct. "Yeah, this is Agent Mercer. I have a 10-59 at my residence. Suspect is Julian Mercer. He violated his restraining order and broke in. Come pick up the trash."
