Chapter 5 - The False Friend
Sariah stepped into the safehouse with a shockingly cold expression on her face.
She looked completely different from the bubbly, gossip-loving woman Nina had known for years.
"Put the gun down, Sariah," Alex warned, keeping his own weapon perfectly leveled.
Nina stood up from behind the counter, unable to hide her profound heartbreak.
"Sariah, please tell me this is a sick joke," Nina begged desperately.
Sariah briefly glanced at Nina, a flash of genuine pity crossing her eyes.
"I am sorry, Nina, but my family comes first," Sariah said flatly.
"You faked our entire friendship just to monitor the daughter of a dead man?" Nina cried out.
"My father needed to know if you had the missing money hidden somewhere," Sariah admitted.
She turned her cold gaze back to Alex.
"Hand over the USB drive with the ledger, Mancini, and I will let the girl live."
"We both know you are going to kill her anyway," Alex scoffed darkly.
Alex suddenly kicked a heavy wooden chair directly at Sariah's legs.
Sariah fired her weapon in a panic, the bullet burying itself harmlessly into the ceiling.
Alex lunged forward and knocked the gun violently out of her hand.
He grabbed Nina by the wrist and dragged her toward the back of the bunker.
"There is an old maintenance tunnel behind the supply closet," he yelled over Sariah's angry curses.
He kicked the closet door open and pulled a heavy metal grate from the floor.
They dropped down into the damp, echoing darkness of the Boston subway maintenance tunnels.
Alex clicked on a small tactical flashlight, cutting a narrow beam through the pitch black.
"We have to keep moving before she calls for backup," he whispered, holding her hand tightly.
They ran blindly over rusted train tracks and slippery concrete grates.
The air smelled strongly of mold, stale water, and raw copper.
Nina's bare foot suddenly slipped violently on a patch of wet slime.
She cried out as she fell hard against the damp concrete floor.
Her hand slipped completely out of Alex's grip.
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Before she could stand back up, a massive, leather-gloved hand clamped viciously over her mouth.
A terrifyingly strong arm dragged her backward into the suffocating shadows.
