Chapter 1 - The Sirens of Justice
The heavy splash of water echoed through the massive living room.
Ethan held Hannah tightly against his chest.
His heart pounded against his ribs like a sledgehammer.
Hannah was shaking uncontrollably.
Her injured hand was cradled against her stomach.
Blood dripped from her crushed fingers onto the pristine white tiles.
Outside, the distant wail of police sirens began to pierce the quiet night.
The dispatcher had heard everything.
Every cruel word.
Every shattered piece of glass.
Every agonizing scream.
Beatrice broke the surface of the pool, gasping for air.
Her expensive scarlet satin gown clung to her like a heavy, wet garbage bag.
Her perfect makeup was running down her face in dark, muddy streaks.
"Ethan!" she shrieked, sputtering pool water.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Help me out of here right now!"
Ethan didn't even look at her.
His entire focus was on the fragile woman trembling in his arms.
"I've got you, Hannah," he whispered softly.
"You are safe now."
"She is never going to hurt you again."
The red and blue flashing lights suddenly illuminated the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Tires screeched on the gravel driveway outside the estate.
Heavy footsteps pounded against the front porch.
"Police!" a deep voice shouted.
"Open the door!"
Ethan carefully helped Hannah to her feet.
He kept his arm securely wrapped around her waist.
He guided her toward the front entrance.
Beatrice finally managed to drag herself out of the pool.
She flopped onto the deck like a dying fish.
She was shivering in the cool night air.
The massive front doors swung open.
Four armed police officers rushed into the foyer.
They had their hands resting cautiously on their holstered weapons.
"We received an open-line 911 call from this address," the lead officer stated.
He took one look at Hannah's bleeding hand and the shattered phone on the floor.
"Who is responsible for this?" the officer demanded.
Before Ethan could speak, Beatrice came rushing into the room.
She was leaving a trail of puddle water behind her.
"Officers, thank God you are here!" she cried out.
She immediately forced fake tears to well up in her eyes.
"This woman attacked me!"
"She went crazy and tried to destroy my property!"
"My stepson had to push me into the pool just to break up the fight!"
Hannah flinched at the bold-faced lie.
Ethan simply glared at Beatrice with utter disgust.
"That is a pathetic lie," Ethan said calmly.
He pointed a firm finger toward the ceiling.
"Look up, officers."
The police officers followed his gaze.
Nestled perfectly in the corner of the ceiling was a sleek, black dome.
It was a state-of-the-art security camera.
Beatrice's face instantly drained of all color.
Her jaw dropped in absolute horror.
She had completely forgotten about the newly installed security system.
"That camera records both crystal-clear video and audio," Ethan explained.
"It connects directly to a secure cloud server."
"I can pull up the footage on my tablet right now."
The lead officer nodded sternly.
"Please do, sir."
Beatrice took a frantic step backward.
"You can't do that!" she screamed.
"That is an invasion of my privacy in my own home!"
"This isn't your home, Beatrice," Ethan growled.
"You forged those deed documents, and I can prove it."
Ethan pulled a sleek tablet from his jacket pocket.
He tapped the screen a few times.
The brutal scene began to play out in high definition.
The officers watched as Beatrice stomped on the phone.
They heard her cruel, mocking words.
They saw the gold stiletto crush Hannah's fragile fingers.
The lead officer turned off the tablet and looked at Beatrice.
His expression was ice-cold.
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"Beatrice Sterling, you are under arrest."
"Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
