Chapter 3 - The Midnight Escape
The sheer terror of Olivia's note sent a massive surge of adrenaline through my veins.
I aggressively ripped the IV needle out of my arm, wincing at the sharp sting.
I grabbed a pair of wooden crutches resting in the corner of the room.
Every step sent waves of agonizing pain up my shattered left leg.
I made it to the hallway just as the elevator doors chimed at the end of the corridor.
My father stepped out of the elevator, holding a clipboard and talking to a senior doctor.
I quickly ducked into a dark supply closet, holding my breath as they walked past.
I heard my father tell the doctor that I would never want to live as a burden to the family.
Once their footsteps faded, I hobbled desperately toward the emergency stairwell.
I pushed the heavy door open and immediately collided with a tall stranger.
It was Liam, the insurance investigator I had spoken to on the phone.
He took one look at my terrified face and my cast, instantly realizing the danger.
He scooped me up into his arms and carried me quickly down three flights of stairs.
We reached his unmarked car in the parking garage just as the hospital alarms began to blare.
My father had discovered my empty hospital bed.
Liam sped out of the garage and merged onto the dark, rain-soaked highway.
I handed him the severed brake line, watching his jaw clench in pure anger.
He told me we needed to go to my father's auto shop to find my stolen backpack.
We arrived at the dark, silent garage and Liam easily picked the front door lock.
I guided him to my father's messy office in the back of the building.
We started tearing through the filing cabinets, looking for any trace of my money.
Liam suddenly paused and knocked on the back wall of the closet.
The wood sounded completely hollow.
He used a crowbar to pry the panel away, revealing a hidden steel wall safe.
Liam expertly cracked the dial in under a minute and pulled out a stack of documents.
My backpack was not inside the safe, but something much more valuable was.
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The top document was a life insurance payout statement from five years ago.
It was the payout for my mother's supposedly natural death.
