Chapter 5 - The Trap
The concussive force of the explosion threw me violently against the cold concrete floor.
Thick gray smoke instantly filled the warehouse, making it completely impossible to see anything.
My ears rang with a deafening pitch as I scrambled blindly behind a stack of wooden shipping crates.
Sarah and Rebecca were already returning fire, shooting at the dark silhouettes storming through the breached doorway.
Our father had somehow tracked Rebecca's armored SUV from the hospital directly to our secret safe house.
"Keep your head down and move toward the freight elevator!" Sarah screamed over the deafening roar of gunfire.
I crawled on my hands and knees, ignoring the agonizing pain shooting through my fractured ribs.
Bullets tore through the wooden crates above me, showering my hair with sharp, jagged splinters.
I reached the metal doors of the old freight elevator and slammed my bloody hand against the call button.
Rebecca provided covering fire, taking down two heavily armed cartel thugs before her rifle clicked empty.
She tossed the useless weapon aside and sprinted toward the elevator just as the metal doors slid open.
We all dove inside, and Sarah hit the button for the roof access level.
The heavy doors closed right as a barrage of bullets dented the thick steel from the outside.
As the elevator slowly began to rise, I realized that my father had sent a hit squad instead of coming himself.
He was using the syndicate's resources to eliminate us while he stayed safely hidden with Chloe.
We reached the roof and burst out into the freezing night air, completely surrounded by the glowing city skyline.
Rebecca ran to the edge of the building and pointed to a fire escape leading down to the back alley.
"We need to get to my backup vehicle parked two blocks from here," she instructed urgently.
We climbed down the rusted metal stairs as fast as my injured body would allow.
We reached a sleek black sedan hidden in a parking garage, and Sarah immediately hotwired the engine.
"Next stop is the meatpacking plant to get Chloe," Sarah said as she slammed her foot onto the gas pedal.
We tore through the empty city streets, running every red light to beat the one-hour deadline my father had set.
When we arrived at the abandoned brick building, the entire perimeter was completely silent and completely dark.
We crept through the side entrance, using flashlights to navigate the rotting hallways that smelled strongly of rust.
We finally reached the basement door and kicked it open, ready for a massive firefight.
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But the basement was completely empty, except for a cell phone sitting on a wooden chair.
The phone screen lit up with a live video call, and my mother's smiling face appeared on the screen.
