The Heritage Paper

Chapter 50



Veronica reached into a drawer of an end-table and pulled out a flashlight. Just where Carsten left it back when the table resided in their New York apartment, in case of an “emergency.” She assumed this would qualify.

She clicked it on, surprised the batteries still worked, and a stream of light sliced through the room. It reflected off Eddie’s bald head like a spotlight. His gun was drawn and eyes were on-point. He grabbed the flashlight away and shut it off with a look of disgust.

The footsteps got louder.

Veronica needed to get up there. She didn’t care if she had to take on the 82nd Airborne to save him, and would gladly trade her own life. She began to race for the stairs, but Eddie grabbed her by the back of the shirt and pulled her back, kicking. There would have been screaming, but she couldn’t afford to make any noise.

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” he whispered.

To quote her daughter—woopdy-do

“And you’re going to get Jamie killed,” he added.

That one did the trick.

Eddie moved the herd behind a turned-over couch. He took Veronica’s half-finished coffee and tossed it on the fire, extinguishing the remaining light in the room with a crackle. The darkness grew thick.

More footsteps upstairs.

Eddie joined them behind the couch. He was the leader—they all appeared ready to follow, no questions asked, even Maggie. He reached under the pant leg of his suit and pulled out second gun. He glared at Zach. “Can you be trusted?”

“He can be trusted,” Veronica answered for him.

Her word was good enough for Eddie, and he handed Zach the gun. Wasting no time, Eddie moved to the stairwell with weapon outstretched. He stopped at the bottom, contemplating his next move. Veronica looked on helplessly.

More footsteps.

This time quick movements. Like mice scrambling across the kitchen counter in the middle of the night.

Then Jamie screamed.

Veronica’s heart dropped to the floor and Eddie rushed up the stairs. “Freeze—police!”

A gunshot rang out.

Veronica couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the flashlight and ran as fast as she could. She bounded up the stairs, almost tripping over Eddie, who was sprawled across the floor at the top of the stairwell. She pointed the flashlight at him, realizing he’d been shot in the shoulder.

He pointed with his non-wounded arm. “They went that way—they have Jamie.”

Veronica followed his point—Maggie’s room!

She bolted into the room, and noticed the open window. Veronica ran toward the cold air that was seeping into the house. The motion-light illuminated the backyard and she saw two men with ski masks and semi-automatic weapons dashing across the yard like a prison break. They’d shimmied down the gutter, just as Maggie often did.

They were also carrying something else.

Jamie!

Veronica knew her only chance was to cut them off at the pass. She ran back toward the stairs. That’s when she heard the crashing noise coming from downstairs. And she realized something.

They weren’t running away after escaping out Maggie’s room—they were coming back for what they’d left behind.

Maggie!

Veronica moved past Eddie, who handed her his gun as she went by. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he cautioned while grimacing in pain.

To a mother trying to save her kids, there was no such thing. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, the sight in front of her was every horror movie rolled into one. A shadowy figure in a ski mask held Jamie in one hand and a gun pointed at the head of Zach, who was trying to protect Maggie.

“Let the girl go and you might live,” one of the intruders commanded Zach.

“She’s not going anywhere,” he countered. Very brave—but also very stupid. TJ already lacked a mother; he shouldn’t have to grow up without a father. This wasn’t his fight. Not to mention, his bravery might be putting Maggie and Jamie in further peril.

Veronica was stealth for a split second. They didn’t know she was there, and she was plotting a way to whisk away her kids and make a run for the Tahoe. But Jamie blew her cover.

“Mom,” he exclaimed, pointing at her. “Help!”

All guns were now pointed at Veronica. She directed Eddie’s gun back at them. It was comical—a group of professionals against a woman who didn’t even know how to work Jamie’s Super Soaker squirt gun. She couldn’t even blame them for laughing at her.

“Get the kids and let’s get out of here,” the leader said, not even acknowledging her.

Veronica wasn’t letting them go without a fight. She fired the gun at the leader. She wasn’t sure where the shot went, but sounded like it headed into one of the walls. It barely got her a second glance.

In one swift movement, one of the intruders cracked Zach over the head with his gun handle and grabbed Maggie.

She was kicking …

And screaming!

Veronica screamed, too, “Noooo!”

But like a flash, they were out the door and barreling down the driveway in a SUV that had been hidden in the woods. How long had they been waiting there? They probably left the vehicle when they had broken in earlier, knowing they would need to return.

Eddie ran out behind her. He’d done a homemade bandage job on his shoulder. “Which way did they go?” he called out.

Veronica just pointed randomly down the driveway, tears streaming down her face.

“The kids will be safe, I promise you,” he said as jumped into his police car and rushed down the driveway, lights flashing.

Suddenly Veronica’s tears dried up in the cold air. Her motherly instincts took over again. She had to get her children back. She got in the Tahoe and raced after them.