Chapter 9 - The Hidden Strength
Eleanor watched the iron gates slam shut from the dirty alleyway window.
She saw the massive man aiming a shotgun at the chest of the daughter she had just found.
Decades of refined manners and polite society conditioning completely vanished from Eleanor's mind.
She was no longer a billionaire CEO; she was a mother protecting her child.
Eleanor grabbed a heavy, solid bronze statue of a horse that was sitting outside the shop's side door.
She smashed the side window with terrifying force, sending shards of glass flying into the pawnshop.
Before the owner could turn his weapon toward the noise, Eleanor hurled the heavy bronze statue directly at his head.
The metal struck him squarely in the temple, and he collapsed onto the floor completely unconscious.
Emily quickly grabbed the keys to a rusted pickup truck hanging on a rack behind the counter.
She unlocked the back door, and they sprinted toward the old truck parked in the rear lot.
The engine sputtered violently before roaring to life, and Emily tore out of the parking lot at top speed.
Eleanor sat in the passenger seat, breathing heavily as she held the ten thousand dollars in cash.
They pulled over at a random gas station to buy cheap burner phones and a fresh change of clothes.
Eleanor dialed Arthur's secret emergency number from the new phone, praying the private investigator was still on their side.
"Arthur, we have cash, but the police are hunting us for murder," Eleanor said frantically.
"I know, I saw the news," Arthur replied, his voice sounding weak and strained.
"Drive to the abandoned shipping warehouse on Pier 44, I have a secure extraction team waiting for you."
They drove the stolen truck back into the heart of the city, hiding in the shadows of the industrial district.
May you like
When they kicked open the rusty door of the designated warehouse, there was no extraction team waiting for them.
Arthur was lying on the concrete floor in a massive pool of his own blood, clutching a small flash drive in his trembling hand.
