Chapter 5 - The Midnight Breach
|
Grant’s tail lights faded into the whiteout storm. Two minutes later, red and blue strobe lights flashed through the snow as two Denver police cruisers and an unmarked sedan pulled up alongside my car.
Detective Marcus Reed stepped out of the lead vehicle, pulling his trench coat tight against the wind. I shoved my door open and met him on the asphalt.
"He knows," I told Marcus immediately, my breath clouding in the freezing air. "He came out here himself. He threatened me."
"He can threaten whoever he wants," Marcus said, pulling a folded paper from his jacket. "I called Child Protective Services the second we hung up. I managed to get an emergency court order for an immediate welfare check based on your professional statement as a mandatory reporter. CPS worker is right behind us."
A gray crossover pulled up behind the cruisers, and a woman in her late thirties with tired eyes and a heavy winter coat stepped out.
"I'm Sarah Chen from Denver County CPS," she said, shaking my hand quickly. "Evan, I need you to understand that if we enter this residence tonight, we need clear, undeniable access to the child. If your brother refuses, we execute a forced entry."
"He'll try to lawyer his way out of it," I warned them as we got back into our vehicles. "He has connections everywhere."
Ten minutes later, our convoy swept up the winding driveway of Grant’s twelve-thousand-dollar winter palace. The fifteen-foot Christmas tree was still glowing inside the two-story foyer window, casting green and red reflections across the snow.
Marcus knocked heavily on the solid oak front door.
It took nearly three minutes before the door swung open. Grant stood in the entryway wearing a plush navy bathrobe, holding a glass of sparkling water. He looked completely unbothered, as if expecting a delivery rather than a police raid.
"Detective Reed," Grant said smoothly, glancing at the uniforms behind Marcus. "Is there a problem in the neighborhood?"
"We are here to execute an emergency welfare check on your daughter, Lila Whitaker," Marcus said, stepping into the foyer without waiting for an invitation. "This is Sarah Chen from CPS."
May you like
Grant’s smile vanished, replaced by an expression of supreme contempt as his eyes landed on me standing behind the officers.
"Evan," Grant said softly. "You really are determined to ruin your life, aren't you?"
