Chapter 4 - The Betrayal
Arthur cursed under his breath, smashing his fist against the steel door.
The sound echoed loudly down the dark tunnel behind them.
They could hear the faint, metallic scrape of the grate being lifted from above.
The gunmen had found the tunnel entrance.
Sarah grabbed the flashlight from Arthur’s trembling hand.
She scanned the damp brick walls, looking for any sign of a structural weakness.
She noticed a thick bundle of electrical cables running along the ceiling and disappearing into a small ventilation shaft.
It was too small for an adult, but perfectly sized for a seven-year-old child.
Sarah knelt down and grabbed Madison by the shoulders, looking into her terrified blue eyes.
She told Madison to crawl through the vent, find the exit, and run to the nearest police station.
Madison shook her head violently, refusing to leave her parents in the dark.
Arthur stepped forward and handed Madison a heavy silver coin from his pocket.
He told her that whoever she showed the coin to would keep her absolutely safe.
Reluctantly, tears streaming down her face, Madison let her mother boost her into the narrow shaft.
Sarah watched her daughter’s tiny shoes disappear into the darkness.
She turned back to Arthur, her eyes blazing with maternal fury.
She demanded to know who was hunting them and why they wanted him dead.
Arthur leaned against the cold steel door, his breathing growing ragged again.
He admitted that he had stolen something incredibly dangerous from his employers.
He worked for a private intelligence firm, laundering money for rogue black-ops divisions.
He had compiled a hard drive containing the names of every corrupt politician on their payroll.
Sarah asked him where the hard drive was right now.
Arthur smiled weakly, a trickle of blood escaping his nostril.
He told her he had hidden it inside Madison’s favorite stuffed bear.
The same bear Madison was clutching tightly as she crawled through the vent.
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From the darkness of the tunnel behind them, a cold voice echoed off the walls.
The voice thanked Arthur for the information.
