Chapter 8 - the partner's betrayal
Daniel stood at the base of the stairs, completely unbothered by the gun pointed at his chest. Rex stood rigidly at his side, his ears forward, waiting for his handler's command.
"Thomas," Daniel said, his voice deep, solid, and utterly calm. "Look at the men lying on this floor. They aren't state troopers. They're private contractors paid by Harrison's shell company. Do you really think they're letting you walk away with your daughter once they have the drive?"
Vance’s eyes darted frantically to the fallen mercenaries, his breathing coming in shallow, panicked hitches. "He gave me his word, Dan! He said if I brought him the badge, he'd clear my name!"
"Harrison built this trap five years ago," Daniel said, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. "He used you to draw me out. He used my sister's house to collect every piece of evidence in one room so he could burn it all to the ground."
From the top of the stairs, Claire walked down two steps, holding Noah close to her hip. "Thomas... look at my son. You used to come to our family barbecues. You held Noah when he was a baby. Is this who you are now?"
Vance looked up at Claire, then down at seven-year-old Noah staring at him with wide, innocent brown eyes. The gun in Vance's hand began to lower an inch, his shoulders collapsing under the weight of five years of guilt and fear.
"I didn't have a choice, Claire..." Vance whimpered softly. "They took Sarah from her college campus yesterday..."
"We get Sarah back together," Daniel said, stepping right up to his former partner and gently taking the sidearm from Vance's unresisting fingers. "Like we used to. But first, we deal with Harrison."
Suddenly, high-powered halogen floodlights blinded the front windows of the house from the driveway outside!
A heavy electronic megaphone boomed across the lawn: "Daniel Bennett! You are surrounded by state tactical units! Step out onto the porch with your hands visible and surrender the classified property immediately!"
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Daniel looked out the window. Chief Commissioner Harrison himself stood beside a silver command vehicle at the end of the driveway, flanked by eight heavily armed tactical officers.
Harrison was using his official authority to stage a full police raid, intending to execute Daniel, Vance, and the Bennett family under the cover of a high-risk warrant response.
