Chapter 4 - Nowhere to Run
Victoria stopped dead in her tracks.
She looked from the terrified little girl to the man who had closely guarded her life for five years.
Thomas’s expression shifted, the friendly concern vanishing into something cold and entirely dead.
He slowly reached inside his dark, tailored suit jacket.
Victoria didn't wait to see the gun.
She hurled her heavy designer bag straight at his face with all her might.
The heavy metal clasp caught Thomas right in the eye, making him stumble backward with a loud curse.
Victoria scooped Maya up and ran blindly down the winding, trash-filled alleyway.
Gunfire erupted behind them, the bullets sparking dangerously against the wet brick walls.
Adrenaline fueled Victoria’s legs, making her completely ignore the sharp pain of her high heels snapping.
She kicked the ruined shoes off, running barefoot across the broken glass and slick pavement.
They spilled out onto a busy avenue, blending instantly into the chaotic crowd of oblivious tourists.
Victoria flagged down a yellow taxi, shoving Maya into the backseat and diving in after her.
"JFK Airport, step on it!" she yelled, throwing a soaked hundred-dollar bill at the partition.
The cab surged forward, weaving erratically through the heavy evening traffic.
Victoria slumped against the seat, her lungs burning and her hands shaking uncontrollably.
She pulled the encrypted USB drive out of her pocket, staring at it in the dim streetlights.
Her own security chief was compromised, her sister was dead, and her late husband was somehow involved.
This small drive contained a massive secret that people were actively killing for.
"Are we safe now?" Maya asked, pulling the pink blanket tighter around her shivering shoulders.
"We are getting out of the country tonight," Victoria promised.
She glanced up at the rearview mirror to check if the driver was watching them.
The driver was wearing a thick black cap, his face entirely obscured by heavy shadows.
Suddenly, the taxi veered sharply off the highway exit, heading toward the deserted industrial district.
The automatic locks on all four doors clicked shut simultaneously.
Victoria yanked furiously on the handle, but it was completely dead.
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The driver slowly turned around, pulling a suppressed pistol from his jacket.
"Change of plans, ladies," he said with a sickening grin.
