Chapter 3 - THE LOCKED BARRIER
Adrian reached the rear passenger door in a single, desperate stride.
He grabbed the heavy, chrome handle of the black SUV and yanked it with enough force to tear the steel off its hinges.
CLICK-CLICK.
Locked.
Adrian’s breath tore out of his chest in a ragged gasp. He threw his weight toward the front driver’s side door, grabbing the handle and pulling with all his strength.
CLICK-CLICK.
Locked.
He lunged toward the driver-side rear door.
CLICK-CLICK.
Locked.
The vehicle was sealed tight—an airtight, black steel box sitting in forty-five-degree sun with every window rolled up to the frame, the engine completely dead, the interior rapidly transforming into an oven that could reach sixty degrees in less than ten minutes.
Adrian pressed his face flat against the scalding, dark-tinted rear glass, cupping both hands around his eyes to block out the blinding glare of the summer sun.
Through the heavy dark tint, deep within the shadows of the rear seat, he saw it.
Strapped securely into a heavy, black leather rear-facing infant car seat was five-month-old Owen. The baby was wearing a simple white cotton onesie. His tiny face was flushed dark red, slick with sweat, his small dark curls plastered flat against his forehead.
As Adrian watched, the infant’s tiny pale left foot gave one small, feeble, involuntary twitch—and then went completely still.
"OWEN!" Adrian roared, slamming his massive, bare forearm against the center of the dark window glass.
THUD!
The reinforced, shatter-resistant automotive glass didn't crack. The impact vibrated up Adrian’s arm, bruising his muscle, but the window remained pristine and sealed.
Adrian spun around, his pale gray eyes burning with a terrifying, lethal fury as he locked his gaze onto Natalie, who was standing ten feet away on the stone driveway.
Clutched tightly in Natalie’s right hand, held between her manicured thumb and forefinger, was the matte-black electronic key fob for the SUV.
"OPEN IT!" Adrian screamed, his deep voice carrying a terrifying rumble that made the security men flinch. "OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR, NATALIE!"
Natalie stood frozen, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks beneath her expensive sunglasses, her body trembling violently.
"I... I can't, Adrian!" Natalie sobbed out, her voice high, frantic, and desperate. "The electronic lock jammed! The battery in the fob died three minutes ago! I was going inside to find the physical valet key!"
Adrian didn't believe a word out of her mouth. He didn't care about the battery. He looked at his security guards, his jaw set like an iron vise.
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"Window breaker!" Adrian roared toward Marcus. "Get the tactical glass breaker from the trunk of the escort vehicle! NOW!"
Marcus turned on his heel and sprinted at full speed toward the estate's security vehicle parked near the main gates.
