Chapter 7 - Caught in the Glare of the Courtyard
The trick worked, but only for a fraction of a second. As Brutus slowly lumbered to his feet and slipped into the shadows of the azalea bushes, I pulled Sophia through the doorway and into the biting night air. The gravel crunched beneath our shoes with a sound that felt as loud as gunfire in the stillness of the private estate. We needed to reach the western wall where the ivy-covered stone provided enough shadow to mask our crawl toward the perimeter hedge.
We had barely made it halfway across the open expanse of the gravel drive when the world suddenly exploded into harsh, blinding white light. High overhead, the estate’s automated security floodlights snapped on with a sharp electric hum, turning the dark courtyard into an open stage. Our long, distorted shadows stretched out across the white gravel, trapped in the center of the beam like insects pinned under glass.
"Freeze!" a sharp voice cracked from the shadows near the grand portico.
I jerked to a halt, throwing my arm instinctively in front of Sophia to shield her from the glare. Heavy footsteps crunched rapidly toward us over the loose stones. It wasn't one of the ordinary estate guards; it was the panicked man in the black suit from the morning standoff, his tailored jacket unbuttoned, his hand resting menacingly near the holster concealed beneath his left arm. His face was slick with sweat, his eyes wild and bloodshot under the harsh floodlamps.
"I told you to stay put," the man snarled, stopping a few feet away, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. "You really thought you could just walk out the front door? The master is watching every monitor in the house. You're making this infinitely worse for yourself."
"We're leaving," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep it steady. I kept Sophia tucked tightly behind my skirt, feeling the frantic thumping of her small heart against my leg. "You can't keep us here against our will."
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The guard let out a dry, humorless laugh, stepping closer until I could smell the sharp tang of expensive bourbon on his breath. "Watch me," he hissed, reaching out a hand to grab my wrist.
Before his fingers could wrap around my arm, a low, guttural growl vibrated through the gravel. Out of the darkness behind the guard, Brutus emerged, his massive frame blocking the path back to the mansion, his yellow eyes locked squarely on the panicked man's throat.
