Chapter 2 - The Vault Escape
The heavy steel door slammed completely shut with a deafening thud that vibrated through my teeth.
I dropped the burner phone and ran toward the entrance, pounding my fists against the impenetrable metal surface.
There was no handle on the inside, and the thick walls completely blocked any chance of a cellular signal.
Julian had somehow known I would come here, and he had paid off the bank manager to trap me in this concrete tomb.
I forced myself to stop panicking and took a deep breath, trying to remember everything Eleanor had ever told me about this building.
She had mentioned once that these antique vaults were built in the early nineteen-twenties and still utilized passive air circulation shafts.
I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight, scanning the dark ceiling until I spotted a rusted metal grate in the far corner.
It was small, but if I moved the heavy safety deposit boxes to create a makeshift staircase, I could reach it.
My hands were bleeding and bruised by the time I managed to stack enough metal boxes to climb up to the ceiling.
I used the edge of Eleanor's silver key to loosen the rusted screws, praying that Julian wasn't already on his way down the stairs.
The grate finally popped loose, sending a shower of ancient dust into my eyes as I pulled myself up into the narrow ventilation shaft.
I crawled through the suffocating darkness for what felt like hours, guided only by a faint sliver of daylight ahead.
When I finally kicked out the exterior vent, I tumbled directly into a dirty back alley behind the bank.
I scrambled to my feet, clutching the leather binder tightly to my chest as the freezing rain soaked through my clothes.
I needed to get to my car, but as I peeked around the corner of the brick building, my blood ran instantly cold.
Julian was standing in the parking lot, wearing a tailored black suit and holding a silenced pistol in his right hand.
He looked absolutely furious, pacing back and forth while yelling into his cell phone.
I couldn't hear his words, but the sheer rage on his face proved that his entire beach vacation had been an elaborate, sickening lie.
I slowly backed away into the shadows, realizing I couldn't go to the police because Julian owned half the precinct.
I had no money, no safe house, and a husband who was actively trying to execute me in broad daylight.
Just as I turned to run down the alley, a massive black SUV abruptly swerved around the corner and slammed on the brakes right in front of me.
The tinted passenger window rolled down, revealing a woman in dark sunglasses holding an assault rifle.
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She pointed the barrel directly at my chest and smiled coldly.
"Get in right now, or I will shoot you where you stand."
