Chapter 26 - The Midnight Intrusion
Twenty minutes passed. The house was bathed in total darkness; Daniel had flipped the main circuit breaker in the basement, plunging every room into shadow. He knew the layout of his home blindfolded—every squeaking floorboard, every angle, every blind corner. If Vance’s men were coming inside, they would be fighting on his terrain.
Daniel waited in the darkened alcove beneath the stairs, the steel pry bar rested across his shoulder. Beside him on the kitchen counter was a glass bottle of mineral spirits and an old utility lighter.
A faint scuff of gravel sounded outside the rear patio door.
Then came the soft, metallic scratch of a lock-pick working the deadbolt. Daniel held his breath, slipping deeper into the alcove. The latch gave way with a muffled click. The back door swung open, allowing a rush of damp midnight air into the kitchen.
A tall figure slipped inside, dressed in dark tactical clothing, holding a suppressed handgun low at his side. A thin beam from a mounted tactical light swept across the linoleum, illuminating the overturned chairs and the kitchen island.
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The intruder moved with trained precision, clearing the dining room doorway before stepping toward the base of the stairs. As the man turned his back to inspect the darkened hallway, Daniel lunged.
With all the strength fueled by five years of grief and terror, Daniel swung the steel bar horizontally. The heavy metal slammed into the intruder’s forearm with a sickening crack. The handgun clattered across the hardwood floor, sliding into the darkness beneath the sofa.
