Chapter 4 - The Service Tunnels
Clare pressed the emergency manual override button next to the blast door.
The heavy steel gears groaned, slowly opening a small gap.
She slipped through the opening with Ellie clinging tightly to her neck.
The service tunnels beneath the Vale estate were a maze of concrete and exposed pipes.
Clare had memorized these routes during her first month on the cleaning staff.
They were designed for laundry carts, not for escaping a mafia civil war.
The air smelled like damp earth and bleach.
She hurried down the dimly lit corridor, heading toward the underground garage.
If she could steal a staff vehicle, she could disappear into the Chicago rain.
Footsteps echoed somewhere in the darkness behind them.
Clare turned off her flashlight and pressed herself against the cold concrete wall.
Two armed men in tactical gear ran past the intersection, speaking rapidly into radios.
They were hunting for Dominic.
She waited until their footsteps faded before moving again.
They finally reached the heavy fire door leading to the garage.
Clare pushed it open, stepping into the massive concrete structure.
Dozens of luxury cars and armored SUVs were parked in perfect rows.
She spotted an older, unassuming sedans used by the household staff.
She ran toward it and opened the back door to hide Ellie inside.
A sudden, wet cough startled her.
Clare gasped and stumbled backward.
A man was slouched in the driver's seat, clutching his stomach.
It was Samuel Greer, Dominic's oldest and most trusted adviser.
His white shirt was soaked in dark, spreading blood.
"Samuel," Clare whispered in shock.
He looked up at her with unfocused, dying eyes.
"Arthur shot me," Samuel gasped, spitting blood onto his chin.
"I am going to get help," Clare said, reaching for his phone.
Samuel grabbed her wrist with surprising strength.
"Arthur is just a distraction," the old man wheezed.
"He does not have the power to hack the security logs."
Clare froze.
"Then who is running this?" she asked.
May you like
Samuel looked past her shoulder into the dark garage.
"The person standing right behind you."
