Chapter 12 - EXPLOSIVE ESCAPE
A deafening explosion rocked the lower basement of the mansion.
The floor beneath them shook violently, and chandeliers smashed down onto the ballroom floor.
Thick black smoke began pouring from the vents as secondary fires broke out.
"He rigged the house to blow!" Marcus realized in horror.
Vance shoved Marcus with surprising force, sending him staggering against the railing.
Vance scrambled over the balcony ledge and dropped onto the roof of a parked delivery truck below.
"Marcus! Get out of there! The structural integrity is failing!" Sarah screamed in his ear.
Marcus sprinted down the burning grand staircase as beams began collapsing around him.
He burst through the front entrance into the chaotic night air.
Guests were running frantically across the lawn while fire trucks pulled into the driveway.
Marcus spotted Vance running toward the dark woods behind the estate.
Suddenly, a stolen police cruiser slammed through the front gates and pulled up right beside Marcus.
The driver door opened, revealing Sarah at the wheel and Leo in the front seat.
"Get in!" Sarah yelled above the roaring fire.
Marcus jumped into the back seat, panting heavily.
"Vance is heading toward the old docks on foot!" Marcus yelled.
Sarah slammed on the gas, spinning the tires across the ruined lawn.
"He's trying to reach his private yacht," Leo said, holding a GPS tracker on his tablet.
"I hid a tracker in his coat during the commotion earlier."
Marcus looked at the young boy in absolute awe.
"You're smarter than most detectives I work with, kid," Marcus said sincerely.
Leo looked out the window, his jaw set firm.
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"He took my parents," Leo said quietly.
"He won't take my sister."
