Chapter 6 - The Escape Through the Orchard
"Don't test me, Sterling!" Victor barked, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Robert dropped his crystal glass onto the patio stones, where it shattered into a hundred sparkling shards.
"Victor, no blood on the property!" Robert pleaded desperately, raising his trembling hands.
Mark didn't wait for Victor to make a decision; he threw a heavy decorative iron lantern at Victor's face.
Victor ducked instinctively, the suppressed gun discharging a round harmlessly into the manicured turf.
Mark used the split-second distraction to sprint toward the dense orange orchard bordering the west side of the estate.
Bullets clipped the orange tree leaves around him as he ran, carrying Lily tightly against his chest.
"Get them!" Evelyn screamed from the patio, her voice shrill and unhinged. "Don't let him leave with that child!"
Mark ducked beneath low-hanging branches, his boots digging into the soft Florida soil as rain began to fall.
Lily held on for dear life, her small voice whispering, "Daddy, I'm scared!"
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"I've got you, baby," Mark breathed heavily. "I will never let them touch you again."
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