Chapter 3 - The Broken Glass
I didn't wait for his permission. I hit the fourth step with heavy, measured strides.
Ethan didn't move away from the railing. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pressed a button on his smart-home controller.
Down the hallway, two heavy set men in dark blue suits stepped out from the private study. They weren't standard private security—their stance, low center of gravity, and squared shoulders told me they were former private contractors hired to keep the public away from Ethan’s dirty secrets.
"Get him off the property, Marcus," Ethan ordered calmly, turning his back on me to walk toward the master suite. "He's trespassing."
The larger of the two guards, Marcus, stepped directly onto the top landing, blocking the corridor. He reached into his jacket, his hand hovering near his hip.
"Sir, you need to turn around and step outside," Marcus said, his voice flat and practiced. "Mr. Caldwell doesn't want any trouble today."
"My daughter is behind that door," I said, stopping three steps beneath him. "You have three seconds to step aside before I clear this landing."
Marcus smirked slightly. "Look, old man, I don't care about your family drama—"
I didn't let him finish the sentence.
I closed the distance in a heartbeat. My left hand shot forward, grabbing the lapel of Marcus’s jacket and yanking him downward, breaking his balance. Before his partner could draw his weapon, I drove my right elbow hard into Marcus’s solar plexus, knocking the wind out of his lungs with a heavy gasp.
I spun him around, using his heavy frame as a shield as the second guard drew a Glock 19.
CRACK.
The second guard raised his weapon, but I slammed Marcus into him, driving both men hard against the drywall. I grabbed the second guard's wrist, twisted it outward until the joint popped, and swept his leg out from beneath him.
The Glock clattered across the polished hardwood floor.
I kicked the weapon over the balcony railing, where it crashed onto the marble foyer floor below.
Marcus scrambled on his hands and knees, reaching for his belt, but I stepped down hard on his ankle, pinning him to the floor.
"Who pays your check?" I asked, grabbing Marcus by the back of his hair and pressing his face against the floorboards.
"Vanguard Security!" Marcus gasped, coughing. "We... we were just hired for house detail!"
"Did you lay a hand on my daughter?"
"No! I swear to God! Caldwell was in the master suite alone with her! We were ordered to stay in the study!"
I shoved him down, pulled a pair of heavy zip-ties from my tactical bag, and secured both guards to the heavy brass railing within ninety seconds.
I picked up my tactical bag, walked down the wide corridor, and stopped in front of the master suite double doors.
The doors were heavy solid oak, locked from the inside.
"Emily!" I called out, knocking firmly on the wood. "I'm outside, sweetheart!"
From inside the room, I heard a muffled cry, followed by the metallic drag of a heavy bolt sliding into place.
"Dad?" her voice came, barely audible through the thick wood. "Dad, don't come in... he has a gun!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Ethan’s voice rang out from inside the room, sharp, manic, and unhinged.
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"Stay back, Richard! I swear to God, if you touch this door, I'll put a bullet through her!"
My blood froze, but my hand remained completely steady as I unzippered my tactical bag.
