Chapter 25 - The Race Against TimeWithout a second thought, I grabbed my keys, locked my office door, and sprinted down the hallway toward the county parking garage. My mind raced at blinding speed. If my father’s former business partners—shady subcontractors who had always operated on the fringes of the law—were trying to pin an arson charge on Raymond to save themselves, they wouldn't hesitate to ruin Ethan or frame my father all over again.
I dialed Raymond’s mobile phone as I sped out of the parking garage, my tires gripping the wet asphalt.
Ring. Ring. Voicemail.
I tried Ethan’s phone next. Beep.
"Claire? What's going on? Chloe called you, didn't she?" Ethan’s voice came through the car's Bluetooth speaker, sounding panicked and breathless.
"Ethan, where are you? Pull over right now!" I demanded, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.
"I'm pulling into Dad’s driveway," Ethan said over the engine roar. "Dad's truck is here, and there's another unfamiliar SUV parked right behind him. Dad is standing on the front porch talking to two men in heavy jackets. Claire, they look dangerous."
"Do not get out of the car, Ethan! Do you hear me? Stay locked in your car and call 911 right now!" I shouted into the phone.
"I'm going to help him, Claire—"
Click. The line went dead.
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"Ethan! Ethan!" I screamed, but the call had disconnected.
Panic threatened to overwhelm my professional composure, but I forced my breathing to steady. I dialed 911, rattled off my father’s exact address to the police dispatcher, reported an active threat involving extortion and potential violence, and pressed my foot down hard on the accelerator, racing across the city toward the ranch house.
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