Chapter 8 - The Smuggling Tunnel
"We cannot surrender," Hannah said urgently.
"If the feds take me into custody, the cartel will murder me in prison."
Adrian knew she was entirely right.
He also knew he would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
His infant son would become a ward of the state.
"There is a smuggling tunnel beneath this warehouse," Adrian said.
"It leads out to the old abandoned marina."
He grabbed a heavy flashlight from the car's emergency kit.
He helped Hannah lift the sleeping baby and grabbed Maisie's small hand.
They moved quickly to the very back of the building.
Adrian pulled a hidden lever, and a section of the concrete floor slid open.
The air below was thick with mold and cold salt water.
They descended the rusty metal ladder just as the warehouse doors blew open.
Flashbang grenades detonated above them, shaking the foundation.
Adrian sealed the heavy trapdoor and locked it securely from the inside.
They hurried down the dark, dripping corridor.
Maisie tripped in the dark, skinning her knees, but she bravely kept quiet.
Adrian led them through the terrifying maze of ancient Prohibition-era tunnels.
After twenty minutes of breathless running, they reached a heavy iron door.
Adrian pushed it open, revealing a hidden underground dock.
A sleek, fully fueled speedboat bobbed gently in the dark water.
"Get in," Adrian instructed.
He helped the women and children aboard and quickly moved to the helm.
He turned the ignition key, expecting the roar of the powerful engines.
Instead, there was only a dull, empty click.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Adrian opened the engine compartment and shined his flashlight inside.
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The wires had been meticulously slashed.
Someone had known exactly where they were going to run.
