Chapter 6 - Sirens in the Night
Four police cruisers turned down our quiet suburban cul-de-sac, their sirens blaring before cutting off as they pulled up directly in front of our house. Doors flew open, and officers in heavy tactical gear spilled out, weapons drawn, taking cover behind their vehicle doors.
"Stay where you are! Hands where we can see them!" a booming voice commanded through a megaphone.
I stepped out from behind the tool shed into the soft glow of the patio lights, holding my hands high in the air. "We're victims! We live here! There are armed men inside our house!"
The lead officer, a stern-faced captain with graying hair, kept his weapon trained on us for a tense moment before recognizing the situation. "Officer down the perimeter! Check the back doors!" he barked into his shoulder mic, then motioned for two officers to approach us.
Within minutes, we were wrapped in thermal blankets and seated on the tailgate of an ambulance. Paramedics checked Mark over, confirming he had severe muscle strain and burns from the taser darts, but no permanent damage. Leo and Mia clung to my sides, shivering from the cold autumn air and the sheer terror of the evening.
As the police swarmed the house, hauling the two bruised syndicate thugs out in handcuffs, a sleek black sedan pulled up behind the police cruisers.
The door opened, and Detective Miller stepped out, flashing a gold badge. "Sarah Collins? I'm Detective Miller, Federal Financial Crimes Unit. We've been tracking your father's illegal shell companies for eighteen months."
My jaw dropped. "You knew about him?"
"We knew he was laundering money for the Vanguard Syndicate," Miller replied gravely. "And we also know that tonight, he tried to use your family as a human shield while he and your mother boarded a private charter flight to Geneva."
The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. My parents hadn't gone to Cabo. They had fled the country, knowing full well that assassins would come looking for the hidden fortune in our house. They had deliberately sacrificed us to save their own skins.
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"They're gone?" Mia whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "They just... left us to die?"
Detective Miller looked down at us with deep, genuine sympathy. "I'm sorry, kids. But your parents' reign of terror is over. An international red notice has already been issued for their arrest."
