Chapter 2 - The Silent Hunt
Clara clamped her hand tightly over her own mouth to muffle her terrified breathing.
The harsh beam of the flashlight continued to sweep across the thick canvas netting just inches from her face.
Martha squeezed Clara's hand, signaling for her to remain absolutely motionless.
The heavy boots clanked aggressively against the metal grating of the catwalk right above their heads.
"I don't see anything down here, sir," a deep, gruff voice replied to Daniel.
"They fell from the apex, so they must be in the lower sub-basement," Daniel ordered impatiently.
The footsteps slowly faded away as the men rushed downstairs to search the ground floor.
Clara let out a trembling breath, her entire body shaking from the freezing cold and profound shock.
She finally realized her loving husband had intentionally lured her onto that fragile roof to murder her.
"We have to move before they come back," Martha whispered, wincing as she tried to sit up.
Clara carefully dragged herself across the unstable canvas netting toward a nearby maintenance ladder.
Every single movement sent a sharp, terrifying pain shooting through her lower back.
She prayed silently that the baby was truly safe from the violent impact.
Martha helped Clara onto the metal rungs of the ladder, and they slowly climbed down into the abandoned sub-basement.
The air down here was thick with dust and smelled strongly of damp concrete.
They navigated the dark, labyrinth-like corridors using only the faint moonlight filtering through small ventilation shafts.
Suddenly, Clara heard the distinct click of a gun being cocked right behind them.
A massive security guard stepped out of the shadows, aiming a suppressed pistol directly at Clara's pregnant belly.
"Evelyn sends her regards," the guard sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger.
Before he could fire, a heavy steel pipe swung out of the darkness and smashed brutally into the back of his head.
The guard collapsed instantly to the concrete floor, completely unconscious.
Standing behind the fallen man was a tall, incredibly scarred stranger wearing a dark leather jacket.
He lowered the steel pipe and stared at Clara with familiar, piercing blue eyes.
"You are incredibly hard to kill, Clara," the stranger said in a low, gravelly voice.
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Clara gasped in absolute disbelief as she finally recognized the man's face.
It was Marcus, Daniel's older brother who had supposedly died in a tragic boating accident five years ago.
