Chapter 2 – The Sirens Arrive
The thin metal tool slid into the bathroom lock.
I pulled Noah closer, wrapping my arms around him.
"It's okay," I whispered, though my own voice shook.
Outside, Daniel twisted the tool.
"Rachel," he said calmly.
"Open the door."
"We can fix this."
The lock clicked.
Then—
BANG!
The front door exploded open.
"Police! Don't move!"
Heavy footsteps thundered through the house.
Daniel cursed.
The woman screamed.
I heard something metallic hit the floor as Daniel dropped the lock-picking tool.
"Hands where we can see them!"
The bathroom hallway erupted with shouting.
A second later, someone knocked firmly on our door.
"Mrs. Carter?"
"This is Officer Hayes."
"You're safe now."
My legs barely worked as I unlocked the door.
The moment it opened, I nearly collapsed.
Two paramedics caught me before I hit the floor.
Noah was rushed onto a stretcher beside me.
As they wheeled us toward the ambulance, I looked back.
Daniel was standing in handcuffs.
For the first time since I had met him...
He looked afraid.
At the hospital, doctors confirmed what investigators already suspected.
The chicken contained a powerful sedative mixed into the green sauce.
Because Noah and I had eaten only a small portion before feeling sick, the dose had not been enough to kill us.
"It could have been much worse," the emergency physician said.
"You called for help just in time."
Tears streamed down my face as I held Noah's hand.
May you like
We were alive.
That alone felt like a miracle.
