Chapter 4 - The Betrayal
I stared at Liam's treacherous message while absolute rage replaced my lingering fear.
I immediately severed the remote connection and slammed my laptop closed.
"Wake up, Chloe, we have to run again," I whispered as I shook her gently.
My sweet daughter rubbed her tired eyes but did not complain.
I grabbed my bag and cautiously pulled the heavy dresser away from the motel door.
I peeked through the dirty curtains and saw two black SUVs pulling into the parking lot.
Four men in dark tactical gear stepped out of the vehicles with suppressed weapons.
We were completely trapped on the second floor of the building.
I ran into the small bathroom and looked at the narrow frosted window above the shower.
I shattered the glass with the heavy base of a motel lamp.
"I am going to lower you down to the dumpster, you have to be very quiet," I told Chloe.
I tied a thick bedsheet around her waist and carefully lowered her into the alleyway.
I climbed out after her, ignoring the sharp glass that sliced through my palms.
We dropped onto the soft garbage bags just as the men kicked open our motel room door above us.
I grabbed Chloe's hand and we sprinted toward the busy main intersection.
We blended into a group of late-night factory workers waiting at a bus stop.
I stole a quick glance backward and saw the armed men searching the alley with flashlights.
A city bus arrived, and I rushed us onboard, paying the fare with spare change I found in my pocket.
I sat in the very back row and pulled out Liam's address for the supposed safe house.
I realized it was not a safe house at all.
It was the rural Arkansas address listed on Victoria's fake driver's license.
Liam had been trying to send me directly into the spider's web.
I looked at the map on my phone and formulated a desperate plan.
I was not going to run away and hide like a frightened victim anymore.
I was going to travel to Arkansas and rescue my husband myself.
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Chloe asked softly as she leaned her head on my shoulder.
"We are going to save Daddy," I promised her with absolute determination.
May you like
I looked out the bus window and saw a dark sedan matching the speed of the bus.
The driver rolled down his window, and Liam stared directly at me with a cold, unforgiving smirk.
