Her expression changed immediately.
“What do you mean?”
The man handed her a sealed envelope.
Victoria opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
David.
Standing beside the barbecue.
Taken less than ten minutes earlier.
Beneath the photograph was a short message:
WE KNOW HE'S HOME. STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
Victoria slowly lifted her eyes.
Across the street, a dark vehicle was parked with its engine running.
The driver's window was halfway down.
A man inside was watching the backyard.
Victoria folded the photograph.
“David.”
He looked at her.
“What's wrong?”
She moved closer and lowered her voice.
“Take Sophia inside.”
“Why?”
“Now.”
David glanced toward the street.
Then he looked back at his sister.
For the first time, he saw something in her expression that he had never seen before.
Fear.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for him.
Victoria turned toward the two officers.
“Officer Reed, I need you to listen very carefully.”
Reed swallowed.
“What?”
Victoria pointed toward the street.
“The person who filed that complaint is watching this house.”
A second later, the parked vehicle's headlights turned on.
The engine roared.
And the car began moving.
THE POLICE INTERRUPTED A FATHER'S GRADUATION PARTY… THEN A BLACK SUV ARRIVED
An American Family Drama — The Complete Continuation
CHAPTER 2 — THE CAR ACROSS THE STREET
The black vehicle accelerated toward the intersection.
David immediately stepped in front of Sophia.
“Everybody inside!” he shouted.
The guests scattered. Someone dropped a tray of food. A little boy began crying as his mother pulled him toward the house.
Victoria grabbed David's arm.
“Don't go near the street.”
“That's my daughter out here!”
“And that's exactly why I need you to think before you move.”
The vehicle reached the end of the block, turned sharply, and disappeared.
One of Victoria's security officers raised his radio.
“Target vehicle moving north. Black sedan, no visible plate. Requesting local assistance.”
Officer Reed stared at him.
“Who authorized you to issue commands on this street?”
The security officer showed her his credentials.
“Federal protective detail, ma'am.”
Reed's expression tightened.
Victoria turned toward Officer Miller.
“Did you get a description of the vehicle?”
“Yes, ma'am. Dark sedan, tinted windows. I saw at least one occupant.”
“Good. Write down everything you remember.”
Reed stepped forward.
“Hold on. This is still our jurisdiction.”
Victoria faced her.
“Then exercise it properly. Secure the street, identify the vehicle, and preserve the dispatch records associated with this call.”
Reed crossed her arms.
“You don't command this department.”
“No. But I can request that the Department of Justice review the conduct of officers involved in a potentially coordinated attempt to intimidate a protected witness.”
The word witness changed everything.
Miller looked at David.
“Sir, are you a witness in a federal investigation?”
David glanced at Victoria.
She answered before he could.
“He is a protected civilian whose information was compromised.”
David's jaw tightened.
“Victoria, I told you I didn't want this coming back to my family.”
“I know.”
“You promised me.”