Chapter 16 - The Raid
The coastal wind howled, battering the glass doors of the Haven Ledger office. The storm had returned, matching the rising panic in my chest.
"He's heading here," Chloe said, her police instincts kicking into overdrive. She immediately drew her service weapon and began locking the heavy deadbolts on the front and back doors. "Sophia, take Elena and get into the interior secure room. Do not come out until I say so."
Sophia nodded, grabbing Elena’s arm and rushing her toward the reinforced steel door at the back of the office.
"Chloe, I'm not hiding," I said, standing my ground.
"Anna, the man has nothing to lose. He is looking at twenty years in federal prison, and he blames you," Chloe argued, keeping her eyes fixed on the dark parking lot outside.
"I know," I said, walking over to the main electrical panel. "Which is why I want him to walk right into a trap."
I pulled the master switch, plunging the office into complete darkness. The only light came from the lightning flashing outside over the turbulent ocean.
"What are you doing?" Chloe whispered.
"Julian thrives on intimidation. He expects us to be cowering in a corner," I said, my voice eerily calm. I reached under my desk and pulled up the secondary laptop that controlled the building's high-definition security matrix. "I learned a long time ago that the most dangerous weapon you can use against an abuser is a camera."
I activated the silent alarm, which instantly patched our live security feed directly to the local police precinct and the FBI task force.
We waited in the dark. Ten minutes passed in agonizing silence.
Then, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the corridor. Julian had bypassed the front door and smashed a window in the adjacent alleyway.
Heavy, aggressive footsteps crunched over the broken glass.
"Anna!" Julian’s voice roared through the empty office, dripping with manic rage. "You think you can take my life? I built an empire! You’re just a pathetic little battered wife playing vigilante!"
I stood in the shadows behind the reception desk, my heart pounding, but my mind razor-sharp.
"I'm right here, Julian," I said clearly.
He lunged around the corner, holding a heavy iron tire iron in his right hand. His expensive suit was soaked with rain, his face twisted in pure, unadulterated hatred.
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Before he could take another step, Chloe stepped out from the shadows, her weapon aimed directly at his chest, the tactical flashlight blinding him.
"Drop the weapon, Croft! Police! Drop it now!" Chloe screamed.
