Chapter 13 - The Extinction Burst
For two months, there was peace. Liam and Maya settled into their secure downtown apartment. Maya’s physical wounds healed perfectly. Leo was growing fast, babbling and smiling. Arthur extended his stay, helping them paint the nursery and cook meals, filling the apartment with a warmth Liam had never experienced growing up.
But a narcissist never truly surrenders. They merely lie in wait.
It was a Tuesday afternoon. Maya was taking Leo to his two-month pediatric checkup. Liam was at work but had arranged for a private security contractor to drive them, an abundance of caution he refused to let go of.
As Maya exited the clinic, pushing the stroller toward the waiting black SUV, a figure darted out from behind a parked van.
It was Eleanor.
She looked unhinged. Her hair was disheveled, and she was clutching a giant stuffed bear.
“Give him to me!” Eleanor screamed, lunging toward the stroller. “He is my blood! You can’t keep him from me!”
Maya screamed, instinctively throwing her body over the stroller to shield her son.
Before Eleanor’s manicured hands could even touch the fabric of the stroller, the private security guard intercepted her. He was a former Marine, built like a brick wall. He tackled Eleanor to the pavement, pinning her arms behind her back with swift, brutal efficiency.
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“Let me go! I’m his grandmother!” she shrieked, kicking wildly at the concrete.
The security guard didn't even flinch. He pinned her securely and pulled out his radio. “Dispatch, Code 4. Suspect apprehended. Contact local PD. We have a violation of a protective order.”
