Chapter 3 - The Air Vent
Adeline sat alone in the massive guest bedroom with tears on her cheeks.
She wanted her mother and she wanted her green alligator.
She remembered playing hide and seek in this exact room last month.
There was a loose brass grate near the floorboard behind the velvet curtains.
Adeline pushed the heavy fabric aside and pulled the grate open with her tiny fingers.
She crawled into the dusty ventilation shaft to find her mama.
The dark metal tunnel echoed with the sounds of heavy boots walking below.
She crawled for what felt like a very long time until she saw light shining through another grate.
Adeline peeked through the metal slats into the estate's command center.
Marcus was standing alone in the room with his back to the vent.
He was speaking rapidly into a burner phone that he never usually carried.
Marcus told the person on the line that the blame had successfully been placed on the maid.
He promised the rival family that Vincent would be completely dead by midnight.
Adeline did not understand the big words, but she knew Marcus was angry.
She shifted her weight and accidentally kicked the metal side of the vent.
A loud echoing thump rang out through the silent command center.
Marcus stopped talking and slowly turned toward the wall.
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He walked directly over to the grate where Adeline was hiding.
His dark eyes stared through the slats right into her terrified face.
