Chapter 18 - The Counter-Strike
Before Julian’s men could reach the floor level, I whipped my hand out from my coat, aiming the heavy-duty taser directly at Julian’s chest. With a sharp crack of high-voltage electricity, the twin barbed darts flew forward, striking him square in the sternum. Julian let out a strangled gasp, his eyes widening in sheer shock as fifty thousand volts surged through his nervous system. He collapsed to the concrete floor like a felled oak, his limbs twitching violently before going completely limp. "Get her!" one of the thugs roared from the staircase, drawing a heavy tactical knife as he charged down the remaining steps. I didn't hesitate. I dropped the spent taser, sprinted toward the open doorway of my sedan, and slammed my hand against the remote trunk release. The trunk popped open just as the heavy boots of the second thug pounded against the gravel behind me. I spun around, grabbing a heavy iron tire iron from the emergency kit inside the trunk, and swung with every ounce of frustration, adrenaline, and maternal rage I had accumulated over the past year. The iron bar connected solidly with the man’s shoulder, sending him stumbling backward into the rusted side of his own SUV with a heavy groan. He dropped his weapon, clutching his arm in agony. I didn't wait for him to recover. I leaped into the driver’s seat, slammed the gear into reverse, and tore out of the access road, spraying gravel in all directions as I accelerated toward the safety of Route 9. My phone, resting on the passenger seat, began buzzing violently. I glanced down at the screen. It was an incoming call from an unknown, encrypted satellite number. I let it ring twice, then answered, pressing the speakerphone button as I sped down the highway. "You think you've won, Nora?" Julian’s voice crackled through the speaker, strained and breathless, but laced with venomous rage. "You can run back to your pretty little house, but my associates are already inside Elmhurst Lane. Your daughter is currently finishing her art project, completely unaware that her home is about to become her tomb."
