Chapter 27 - SHADOWS AT THE GATES
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The sudden chill in the air made the hairs on the back of Elena’s neck stand up. She instinctively stepped between the booth where Leo sat and the kitchen hallway.
“Marcus,” Elena whispered sharply. “Did you come here alone?”
Marcus frowned, standing up instantly. “I left two security guards in the SUV outside—”
A heavy crash echoed from the kitchen behind the counter. The diner’s cook let out a short yell before falling silent.
Before Marcus could pull out his phone, the kitchen door swung open, and two tall men in dark tactical jackets stepped into the dining area. Behind them walked Victoria, wearing a dark trench coat, her eyes wild, bloodshot, and frantic.
She held a small silver pistol steady in her gloved hand.
“Hello, Marcus,” Victoria sneered, a terrifying, unhinged smile spreading across her pale face. “Did you really think your little diner visit would go unnoticed? You’re so predictable when you’re playing the tragic, guilty father.”
Marcus immediately shifted his body to block Victoria’s line of sight to the baby booth. “Victoria, drop the gun. The marshals are already tracking your phone. You won't make it out of the state.”
“I don't care about the state!” Victoria screeched, her sanity visibly fraying. “You ruined my family! You ruined my life! And for what? For a bastard baby and a dirty maid!”
Victoria pointed the barrel of the gun directly at Marcus’s chest.
Elena’s mind raced. Her pulse pounded in her ears like a war drum. She glanced at the heavy glass coffee pot sitting on the burner right beside her hand, still steaming hot.
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“Victoria, look at me!” Elena suddenly shouted, stepping out from behind the counter, drawing every eye in the room to herself.
Victoria’s gaze snapped toward Elena, her eyes burning with pure, concentrated hatred. “You… you miserable little rat. You should have stayed at the bottom of that pool with the baby!”
