Chapter 5 - THE NIGHT ESCAPE
"Get her into the car! Now!" Adrian roared, his calm facade instantly vanishing the moment the front door slammed behind Julian.
The mansion went from a quiet estate to a high-alert war zone in ten seconds flat.
Marcus Brody, Adrian’s personal head of security—a massive former Navy SEAL with a scarred jaw—appeared at the top of the stairs, pulling a concealed firearm from his jacket holster.
"Sir, Julian’s two SUVs are sitting at the end of the main driveway," Marcus reported, his voice crisp and professional. "They aren't leaving. They've blocked the main gate."
"He's calling his legal team and his private security," Adrian said, striding up the stairs two at a time toward Grace. "He knows. The moment he saw her face, he put it together."
Grace was trembling, holding Nora tightly against her chest. Nora was whimpering softly, confused by the sudden noise and panic.
"Where are we going?" Grace asked, her voice high and strained.
"To my cabin in the Berkshire mountains," Adrian said, taking Grace’s arm and leading her rapidly down the rear service stairwell. "It’s off the grid. No digital signatures, no satellite tracking. We have to move before Julian gets a court injunction or sends his security team onto the property to serve a paternity subpoena."
"Can he do that?" Grace asked as they reached the basement level.
"Julian owns three probate judges in Hartford," Adrian said bitterly. "If he files an emergency petition claiming Nora is being held against her mother’s will or that her lineage threatens a public company’s stock valuation, he can get a federal marshal to seize her for 'protective custody' within twelve hours. Once he gets her into an independent facility, he’ll bribe the lab to falsify the DNA results—or worse."
They burst out into the underground parking garage beneath the estate.
A heavy, matte-black armored SUV sat idling in the center bay, its dark tinted windows gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
Marcus popped the rear door open. "Get in, Miss Bennett. The vehicle is fully armored with Class-7 ballistic glass."
Grace climbed into the back seat, pulling Nora onto her lap. Adrian slid in beside her, slamming the heavy door shut. Marcus took the driver's seat, hit a button on the dash, and the garage door rolled open.
The SUV roared to life, its powerful V8 engine rumbling as Marcus hit the accelerator.
They burst out into the crisp night air, tires screeching against the gravel driveway. Instead of heading toward the front gate where Julian’s vehicles waited, Marcus cut sharp to the left, tearing across the manicured lawn toward the thick pine woods at the edge of the property.
"Marcus, the rear access trail!" Adrian ordered.
"On it, sir!"
Behind them, high-powered headlights flashed through the trees. Julian’s security teams had realized what was happening and were breaking through the main gate, two black sedans swerving onto the grass to give chase.
Nora buried her face into Grace’s neck, crying softly. "Mommy, I don't like the loud cars!"
"It's okay, baby," Grace whispered, tears streaming down her face as she rocked the little girl. "It's just a game. Mr. Adrian is taking us on a ride."
Adrian reached across the leather seat. He took Grace’s shaking hand in his, his grip firm, solid, and unwavering.
"Look at me, Grace," Adrian commanded gently.
Grace looked up into his striking blue eyes.
"I lost my brother because I was too blind to see the snakes in my own family," Adrian said, his voice filled with a fierce, quiet authority. "I am not losing his daughter. I swear to you on my life, no one touches this child while I am breathing."
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Ahead of them, Marcus rammed the armored SUV through a wooden service gate, breaking through the perimeter fence and launching the vehicle onto a dark, unlit back road that wound up into the Connecticut hills.
The chase had officially begun.
