Chapter 5 - The Emergency Exit
The emergency stairwell was cold and smelled strongly of damp concrete and old bleach.
I carried my shoes in one hand and held Noah's small hand tightly in the other.
We descended four flights of stairs in complete silence, listening carefully for any sign of the masked men.
My body ached with every single step, reminding me that I had given birth less than twenty-four hours ago.
But the sheer adrenaline pumping through my veins blocked out the worst of the physical pain.
We finally reached the ground floor and slipped through the heavy metal fire door leading to the alleyway.
The cool night air hit my face, bringing a brief moment of clarity to my racing mind.
I checked Daniel's phone again, zooming in on the location history map I had downloaded.
Hangar number four was located at a private aviation facility roughly thirty miles north of the city.
I needed a car, but my own keys were locked inside my purse back in the hospital room.
I looked down the dark alley and spotted a hospital laundry truck idling near the loading dock.
The driver was standing several yards away, casually smoking a cigarette and looking at his phone.
I told Noah to hide behind a large green dumpster and wait for my signal.
I crept toward the idling truck, keeping my body low and hidden in the deep shadows.
When the driver turned his back to throw away his cigarette, I bolted for the open driver's side door.
I climbed into the high seat, shifting the heavy gear lever into drive as quietly as possible.
I rolled the truck forward slowly, stopping just long enough for Noah to scramble into the passenger seat.
Then I slammed my foot on the gas pedal, tearing out of the alleyway and onto the main street.
The truck rattled loudly as I merged onto the highway, keeping my speed just slightly above the legal limit.
I could not afford to get pulled over by the police, especially not tonight.
Noah sat perfectly still, his eyes wide and glued to the dark road ahead of us.
"Are we going to save my little brother, Mom?" Noah asked softly.
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned completely white.
"I promise you that we are bringing him home tonight," I vowed to my son.
After forty minutes of tense driving, the bright runway lights of the private airfield appeared in the distance.
I parked the stolen laundry truck behind a thick row of pine trees near the perimeter fence.
We climbed out and crawled through a large hole in the chain-link fencing.
Hangar number four was a massive corrugated metal building sitting at the far edge of the tarmac.
A sleek black private jet was parked right outside the open hangar doors, its engines already whining loudly.
I crept closer, hiding behind a stack of wooden shipping crates just outside the entrance.
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I peeked around the wooden edge and saw a scene that made my blood boil with pure rage.
Claire was standing near the boarding stairs of the jet, holding a small infant carrier in her arms.
