Chapter 8 - The Hunt in the Dark
“Lock down the perimeter!” Victor roared, wiping his eyes from the residual spray.
I watched the chaos unfold on the monitor.
My heart pounded furiously. Serena was loose on the grounds, and she was completely unhinged.
Suddenly, the power in the mansion flickered.
The monitors in the panic room went dark for a few seconds before the backup generator kicked in.
But in those few seconds, a terrifying realization hit me.
Tommy was still in the main drawing room.
I grabbed a heavy bronze statue from a nearby table.
“Stay here, sweetie,” I whispered to sleeping Ethan, locking the inner door of the panic room.
I stepped out into the dark hallway, my phone flashlight trembling in my hand.
I crept down the grand staircase, every shadow looking like a threat.
“Tommy?” I whispered.
I heard a struggle coming from the drawing room.
I rushed in to find Serena holding a shattered glass vase against Tommy’s throat. She had doubled back, knowing the woods were too heavily guarded.
“Tell Victor to let me go, or your precious brother bleeds out on his expensive rug!” she screamed, her hair wild and her makeup smeared like a madwoman.
“Let him go, Serena!” I yelled, gripping the bronze statue tighter.
“You!” she hissed, her eyes locking onto me with pure hatred. “You ruined everything! I was going to be Mrs. Blackwood! I was going to have the money, the power!”
“You ruined yourself the moment you laid a hand on a child!” I fired back, slowly inching closer.
“Stay back!” she pressed the glass deeper, drawing a thin line of blood from Tommy’s neck.
I had to distract her. I had to buy time.
“Victor doesn't love you, Serena. He never did. He only tolerated you for business,” I said, knowing it would sting her ego.
Her face contorted in rage. For a split second, she shifted her focus from Tommy to me, raising the glass to throw it.
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That split second was all Tommy needed.
He elbowed her sharply in the ribs. Serena gasped, stumbling backward.
