Chapter 5 - HOUSE OF CARDS
The silence in my apartment was deafening, broken only by the frantic pounding of my own heart. I stared at the phone screen, watching Colton slide the flat end of the crowbar into the seam of my doorframe. He wasn't rushing. He was moving with a terrifying, methodical calmness, confident that he could force his way in and finish what he started in that garage.
I didn't scream. I didn't panic. The weeks of preparation, the endless meetings with Sarah, the conversations with Detective Harris—it all kicked in like a well-rehearsed protocol.
I hit the emergency panic button on the security app, instantly connecting to the local precinct and dispatching the patrol car stationed down the street. Then, I retreated quietly into my bedroom, locking the heavy wooden door behind me. I opened my nightstand drawer and pulled out the heavy, metal flashlight I had bought specifically for defense, gripping it tightly in my good hand.
CRACK.
The sound of my front door giving way echoed through the apartment. Wood splintered loudly, followed by the heavy thud of Colton’s boots on my hardwood floor.
“Maya,” he called out, his voice a mocking, singsong whisper that made my blood run cold. “I know you’re in here. You ruined my life, Maya. You made me look like a monster. But we’re family, right? Family forgives.”
I backed into the furthest corner of my bedroom, behind the bed, pressing my spine against the wall. I could hear him moving through the living room, knocking over a lamp, kicking a chair out of the way. He was furious. The loan sharks were likely breathing down his neck, demanding the money he couldn't steal from me.
“You think those cops care about you?” Colton yelled, his voice closer now, standing just outside my bedroom door. “They don’t! You’re just a file on a desk to them. But the people I owe money to? They told me if I don’t get them their cash by Friday, they’re going to visit Jillian. They’re going to hurt the baby, Maya! Do you want that blood on your hands?”
“The only blood on my hands is my own, Colton! Because of you!” I shouted back, unable to stay silent. “You put Jillian in danger! You dug this grave!”
Silence stretched for a terrifying second. Then, a massive blow struck the bedroom door. The wood groaned. He was using the crowbar to smash the handle.
“I’m going to kill you!” he roared, dropping the fake pleasantries, reverting to the violently unhinged man who had broken my bones.
He swung again. The door handle shattered, the lock breaking with a metallic crunch. The door swung open, hitting the wall.
Colton stood in the doorway, chest heaving, his eyes wide and bloodshot. He raised the crowbar, stepping into the room, his eyes locking onto me in the corner.
“Drop the weapon! Police! Put your hands in the air right now!”
The booming voices came from the living room. Red and blue lights suddenly strobed through my living room windows, casting frantic, spinning shadows across the walls. Detective Harris and two uniformed officers stood in the hallway behind Colton, their service weapons drawn and aimed squarely at his back.
Colton froze, the crowbar still raised in the air. For a split second, I saw his eyes dart around the room, calculating his odds. He looked at me, a look of pure, unadulterated hatred, before the fight finally drained out of him.
The crowbar clattered to the floor. He slowly raised his hands and dropped to his knees.
“Colton Vance,” Harris snarled as the officers rushed forward, slamming Colton flat onto the floor and wrenching his arms behind his back. “You just violated a protective order, committed breaking and entering, and attempted assault. Your bail is permanently revoked.”
As they dragged him out of the apartment in handcuffs, Colton looked back at me one last time, spitting a curse. But I didn't flinch. I walked out of the corner, stepping over the broken wood of my doorframe.
“Have fun in maximum security,” I said coldly.
May you like
Harris stayed behind as the officers took Colton away. He looked at my ruined front door, then at me, shaking his head in admiration. “You handled that perfectly, Maya. We have him on camera, we have the weapon, and we have the threat. He’s never seeing the light of day again.”
I looked at the wreckage of my apartment. It was violated, broken, just like my family. But as I took a deep breath, I realized something incredible. I wasn't afraid anymore. The house of cards Colton and Jillian had built out of lies and theft had finally collapsed, and I was standing safely outside the blast radius.
