Chapter 7 - The Race Against Time
Clara stares at the sniper rifle hidden in the back seat.
The metal barrel is still warm to the touch.
She realizes Victor did not just happen to be waiting in the woods to rescue her.
Victor was the sniper who shot his own brother.
Clara forces her breathing to remain calm and slowly turns back around to face the front.
She must play along if she wants to survive this deadly family war.
Victor drives them to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
"Julian is in a coma at the hospital," Victor tells her as he parks the car.
"Vanessa is moving the baby to a private airstrip tonight to flee the country."
Clara pretends to look horrified.
"We have to stop her and save the baby," Clara says, masking her absolute terror of the man sitting next to her.
Victor smiles, handing her a loaded handgun.
"You will sneak into the nursery while I disable the estate's backup generators," Victor instructs.
Clara accepts the weapon, her mind racing with a plan to double-cross him.
They return to the Sterling estate an hour later, moving silently through the shadows.
Victor cuts the power, plunging the massive mansion into darkness.
Clara uses her knowledge of the servant passages to quickly reach the second-floor nursery.
She pushes the door open, expecting to find Vanessa packing suitcases.
Instead, the nursery is completely empty.
The expensive crib is perfectly made, and the baby is completely gone.
Resting on the center of the mattress is a single, handwritten note.
Clara picks it up with trembling fingers and reads the elegant handwriting.
May you like
"I knew you would come back for him, Clara," the note reads.
Before she can turn around, the heavy nursery door violently slams shut and the deadbolt clicks.
