Chapter 8 - SABRINA'S REVENGE
The revelation of the murder plot escalated the situation from a high-profile scandal to a federal conspiracy case. The FBI took over the investigation, raiding the mechanic's shop and arresting Sabrina’s father for his involvement in the financial cover-up.
However, cornered animals are the most dangerous.
Desperate to avoid a life sentence for murder, Sabrina, who was currently out on a massive ten-million-dollar bail funded by her father’s shadowy associates, decided to play her final, most desperate card.
It was a Tuesday afternoon. Grace had taken Lily to a private botanical garden in the city, an outing meant to help the child practice being in public spaces without fear. Ethan was stuck in emergency board meetings, managing the fallout of the scandal on his company's stock.
Grace and Lily were admiring a massive indoor orchid display when the alarms in the greenhouse suddenly blared. The automatic glass doors slammed shut, locking them inside the humid, floral dome.
Before Grace could react, three men dressed in maintenance uniforms stepped out from behind the dense foliage. They weren't holding pruning shears. They were holding suppressed handguns.
“Don't scream,” the lead man said coldly. “We’re just here for the girl. Sabrina wants a little leverage for her plea negotiations.”
Lily let out a terrified whimper and hid behind Grace’s legs, clinging to her skirt.
Grace’s mind flashed back to her collegiate taekwondo days, but she quickly calculated the odds. Three armed men. One child to protect. She couldn't fight them all without risking a stray bullet hitting Lily.
Think, Grace, think.
“You won't make it out of the city with her,” Grace said smoothly, projecting a calm she did not feel. “Ethan Caldwell has trackers on the girl’s security detail. The police are already on their way.”
“The security detail outside is currently taking a nap,” the man sneered, stepping closer. “Hand her over.”
Grace slowly raised her hands in a placating gesture, subtly pushing Lily further behind her toward a large, heavy stone fountain.
“Okay,” Grace said, her voice shaking just enough to sound terrified. “Just… let me get my bag.”
She reached down, grabbed the heavy, metal-clasped diaper-style bag she used for outings, and swung it with every ounce of her strength directly into the lead man’s face.
The heavy brass buckle shattered his nose. He dropped his gun with a howl of pain.
“Run, Lily! To the back door!” Grace screamed.
The other two men lunged. Grace dropped low, sweeping the legs of the second man, sending him crashing into a display of rare ferns. The third man raised his gun, aiming at Grace’s chest.
Before he could pull the trigger, the glass ceiling of the greenhouse shattered in a spectacular explosion of shards.
Ethan Caldwell’s private security team, led by a heavily armed extraction unit, repelled down from the roof structure. They had been tracking Grace's phone the moment the greenhouse alarms were tripped.
Within seconds, the three men were disarmed and pinned to the floor.
Ethan burst through the shattered doors a moment later, his suit jacket gone, his tie undone, looking like a man who had sprinted halfway across the city.
“Grace! Lily!” he shouted frantically.
Lily ran from behind the fountain and threw herself into Ethan’s arms. Grace slumped against the stone wall, her knees finally giving out as the adrenaline crashed.
Ethan handed Lily to the security chief and rushed to Grace, dropping to his knees beside her. He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head, her forehead, her cheeks.
“Are you hurt? Did they touch you?” he demanded, his hands frantically checking her for injuries.
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“I’m fine,” Grace breathed, burying her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of cedar and expensive cologne. “I kept her safe.”
“I know you did,” Ethan whispered, his voice cracking. He pulled back and looked directly into her eyes. “I almost lost you both today. I am never letting you out of my sight again.”
