Chapter 30 - Fortifying the Castle
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Within an hour, two police cruisers were parked in our driveway.
Officer Vance took my statement while James paced the living room like a caged lion. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his jaw set so hard I thought his teeth might crack under the pressure.
"We've alerted state troopers and issued a BOLO—Be On the Lookout—for the vehicle description," Officer Vance assured us, writing notes in his small pad. "Given that she violated a formal court protection order and engaged in active stalking of a minor, a warrant for Lauren's arrest has officially been issued."
"That's not enough," James said, his voice dangerously quiet. "A piece of paper won't stop her if she's crazy enough to drive six hundred miles to stalk my daughter at a public park."
After the police left, James didn't go back to work. He spent the entire evening transforming our house into an impenetrable fortress.
He hired a private security firm that installed high-definition 4K cameras around every angle of our property. Smart sensors were fitted onto every window, motion-activated floodlights were mounted on the roofline, and heavy deadbolts were reinforced along every exterior door frame.
"We don't leave this house alone," James instructed me late that night as we checked the live camera feeds on his tablet. "When you take Emma out, I go with you. If I'm at work, you stay inside with the security system armed."
"James, we can't live like prisoners," I whispered, holding a hot mug of tea with shaking hands.
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"This isn't being a prisoner, Sarah," James said, turning to look at me with eyes full of absolute, uncompromising determination. "This is war. Your sister proved today that she doesn't care about legal documents or family boundaries. She wants our daughter. And I will burn the world to the ground before I let her take one step across our lawn."
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