Chapter 11 - The Cornered Beast
Pain flared across Naomi's neck as Mark yanked her harder against the shattered window frame. But Naomi was an ER nurse—she was trained to react under high-stress trauma.
Instead of pulling away, she grabbed the mug of boiling hot tea sitting in her cup holder and hurled the contents directly into Mark's face.
Mark shrieked in agony as the scalding liquid hit his eyes and skin. He stumbled backward, releasing his grip on her collar and dropping the tire iron onto the driveway.
Naomi scrambled out of the passenger side door, falling onto the pavement, but immediately rising to her feet.
"Help! Somebody help me!" she screamed into the night.
Mark wiped his eyes frantically, his skin raw and red, staggering toward her with murderous intent. "You bitch! I'm gonna snap your neck!"
He lunged at her, throwing his heavy weight onto her, slamming her back against the side of the car. Naomi clawed at his face, keeping his hands away from her throat, but his strength was overwhelming.
Suddenly, a pair of bright headlights swung into the driveway, illuminating the scene in blinding white light.
A car door slammed.
"Get off her right now!" a loud, commanding voice echoed through the driveway.
Dr. Julian Cross sprinted across the lawn, grabbing Mark from behind in a chokehold, tearing him off Naomi with ferocious force. Julian swung Mark around and slammed him violently onto the hood of his sedan, pinning his arms behind his back.
"Don't move!" Julian snarled, pressing his elbow heavily into Mark's neck. "Don't you dare fucking move!"
Sirens began wailing in the distance—the automated emergency alert on Naomi's smartwatch had triggered when her car window shattered.
Naomi leaned against the garage door, gasping for air, her hands covered in superficial cuts from the shattered glass.
Julian looked over at her, his eyes filled with intense concern despite holding Mark down. "Naomi! Are you hit? Did he cut you?"
"I'm... I'm okay," Naomi choked out, wiping blood from a minor scratch on her arm. "Julian... how did you get here?"
"I was coming over to bring you the formal reinstatement papers from Vance," Julian said, his voice laced with relief. "Thank God I showed up when I did."
Within three minutes, two police cruisers pulled into the driveway, lights flashing red and blue. Deputy Vance and another officer rushed out with guns drawn.
"Don't shoot!" Julian yelled. "I have him secured!"
The officers dragged Mark off the car hood, forcing him to his knees and snapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Mark spat blood onto the driveway, glaring at Naomi with pure venom. "You're dead, Naomi! You hear me?! You're dead!"
"Shut up!" Deputy Vance barked, shoving Mark into the back of the cruiser. "Mark Carter, you are under arrest for felony assault, attempted murder, violation of a protective order, and outstanding warrants for forgery."
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As the police car drove away, the neighborhood went quiet once more.
Julian walked over to Naomi, taking off his jacket and wrapping it gently around her shivering shoulders. "Let's get you cleaned up," he whispered softly.
