Chapter 7 - The Underground Clinic
Before Victor's men could pull their triggers, Claire threw a handful of metallic spheres onto the concrete floor. They were military flashbang grenades. The warehouse erupted in blinding white light and deafening noise. I grabbed Emma and Harper, diving behind the thick metal tires of the black SUV. Claire moved like a total ghost through the smoke and chaos. She fired Victor's own shotgun against his men, clearing a path to the vehicle. "Get in!" she screamed over the roaring gunfire. I threw the girls into the backseat and jumped into the passenger side. Claire slid behind the steering wheel and slammed her foot onto the gas pedal. The massive SUV smashed through the warehouse doors, tearing out into the rainy streets. Bullets pinged uselessly against our armored windows as we sped away into the night. "We need to go to my downtown high-rise," I told her, catching my breath. "Thomas will be waiting there to celebrate his victory." Suddenly, Ava let out a terrifying, agonizing scream from the backseat. I turned around to see dark blood rapidly soaking through her new bandages. The frantic movement had completely torn open her femoral artery. "She is bleeding out!" Harper cried, pressing her hands desperately against the wound. "There is no time for a hospital," Claire said, swerving violently around a slow-moving truck. "We are going to an underground clinic run by a man named Doctor Vance." My heart stopped completely. "Vance works directly for my brother," I warned her in absolute panic. "He is going to kill us the moment we walk through his doors." Claire pressed harder on the accelerator, her face set like stone. "He is going to save her," she promised quietly. "Or I will burn his entire clinic to the ground."
