Chapter 7 - The Underground Escape
My heart hammered against my ribs as Greg began counting down from ten on his fingers.
I looked frantically around the small, windowless panic room for any possible way out.
Beneath the metal cot in the corner, I noticed a heavy iron grate bolted to the floorboards.
I remembered Alexander mentioning a secondary escape route designed for absolute emergencies.
I set Paige down safely, grabbed the pistol, and used the heavy steel handle to smash the bolts securing the grate.
The rusty metal gave way just as Greg held up three fingers on the security monitor.
I strapped Paige to my chest with her baby carrier and squeezed into the dark, narrow ventilation chute.
A deafening explosion rocked the penthouse above us, sending a shower of dust and debris down my neck.
I crawled through the pitch-black shaft for what felt like an eternity, my knees scraping violently against the jagged metal.
We finally dropped into the building’s underground parking garage, surrounded by rows of luxury vehicles.
I found a plain, unmarked sedan with the keys still sitting in the ignition, likely belonging to the building's maintenance crew.
I threw the car into drive and smashed through the wooden security gate, speeding out into the chaotic city traffic.
I drove blindly for miles, terrified that Greg’s men were following my every move.
When I finally pulled into an abandoned parking lot to catch my breath, Paige began to cry uncontrollably.
I reached back to comfort her, but her tiny forehead was burning with an unnaturally high fever.
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I unzipped her pink blanket and gasped in absolute horror.
A small, punctured plastic patch was stuck to the fabric of her clothing, slowly leaking a clear, chemical toxin directly onto her skin.
