Chapter 17 - The Siege of Blackthorn
Two nights later, the inevitable happened.
Three unmarked black SUVs pulled up to the heavy iron gates of the sanctuary. Six large, armed men stepped out in the pouring rain. They didn't bother buzzing the intercom; they began attaching heavy chains to the gates to rip them open.
Inside, the alarms blared. The women in the sanctuary woke in a panic, gathering in the central hallways.
Evelyn stood at the top of the stairs. "Everyone, move to the reinforced safe room in the basement. Now."
"What about you?" Maya cried. "They are here for me!"
"They are here to intimidate," Evelyn said, walking down the stairs. "And I am done being intimidated."
Evelyn walked out the front doors, standing on the grand portico. The rain soaked her clothes, but she didn't shiver.
As the gates groaned under the strain of the chains, police sirens suddenly wailed in the distance. Not just one, but dozens.
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Julian stepped out from the shadows of the porch, holding his cell phone. "I called the Federal Marshals thirty minutes ago. I told them Marcus Thorne’s men were attempting to destroy federal evidence."
The thugs froze, looking at the approaching red and blue lights. Realizing they were trapped, they dropped the chains and scrambled back into their SUVs, speeding off into the night just as the authorities arrived.
