The Web of Extortion
Chapter 06 - The Web of Extortion
Before Vanessa’s trembling hand could even reach the handle of the sliding glass doors, two heavy, metallic knocks echoed from the front entryway of the house.
The heavy oak front door swung wide open, and Marcus—my head of private security and a battle-tested former military officer—stepped into the hallway, followed closely by a woman wrapped in a faded brown trench coat.
She stepped slowly into the bright light of the kitchen.
Her dark hair was cut shorter, her cheeks were hollow and pale, and she carried heavy, dark circles beneath her tired eyes—but there was no mistaking those soft, striking green eyes.
"Clara..." I breathed, the word torn from the deepest, rawest part of my chest.
Sophie let out a small, breathless gasp and took a quick step forward, but stopped, clutching my leg as she looked at her mother in a mix of wonder, confusion, and fear. Clara fell straight to her knees right there on the hallway floor, tears streaming down her hollow cheeks as she looked at our daughter.
"Ethan... oh God, Ethan, I'm so sorry," Clara sobbed, her hands shaking violently. "I never wanted to leave you... I never abandoned our baby!"
Marcus stepped smoothly between Vanessa and the patio exit, blocking her path with his towering frame. "We located her at the address your investigator verified, Ethan. She was being held in a private motel suite... under twenty-four-hour armed guard."
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"Under whose guard?" I demanded, turning my burning gaze back onto Vanessa.
Clara lifted her head, pointing a trembling, thin finger at my fiancée. "Hers. Vanessa sabotaged my car two years ago. When I survived the plunge down the embankment, she had her private medical contacts isolate me in an unregistered facility under heavy chemical sedation, convincing the police that my body was burned beyond recognition."
