Chapter 7 - The Hostage
Adrian pinned my shoulders to the gravel floor, his heavy knees pressing painfully into my ribs.
"This is all your fault, Claire!" my husband screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.
"If you had just signed the papers, none of this would be happening!"
He wrapped his strong hands tightly around my throat, squeezing with absolutely murderous intent.
My vision began to blur around the edges as I struggled violently to pull his hands away.
I kicked my legs, desperately trying to dislodge him, but he was far too heavy.
Suddenly, a massive wooden wine crate smashed directly into the side of Adrian's head.
Maya stood above us, holding a broken piece of wood, breathing heavily with pure adrenaline.
Adrian groaned in pain and rolled off me, clutching his bleeding ear as he fell into the spilled wine.
I gasped for air, coughing violently as the thick, toxic smoke from the fire above grew heavier.
"Hurry!" Maya yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the dark, hidden dirt tunnel.
We crawled frantically into the narrow passage, the damp earth scraping against our knees and elbows.
The tunnel was terrifyingly tight, smelling heavily of old dirt and ancient, rotting wood.
Behind us, I could hear Eleanor shrieking hysterically as the ceiling of the wine cellar finally began to collapse from the raging fire above.
We crawled in complete darkness for what felt like an absolute eternity, our lungs burning from the lingering smoke.
Finally, the tunnel began to slope upward, and I felt the cold, crisp night air hitting my face.
We pushed against a wooden grate, bursting out into the middle of the sprawling, moonlit vineyard.
The massive estate behind us was completely engulfed in towering, violent orange flames.
We collapsed onto the soft soil of the grapevines, coughing and gasping for clean oxygen.
"We made it," Maya cried, throwing her arms around my neck in absolute relief.
I hugged her back, finally letting the tears fall from my eyes as the adrenaline slowly began to fade.
In the distance, the wailing sound of a dozen state police sirens echoed through the valley, growing louder by the second.
Maya's lawyer had clearly done exactly what he promised, sending honest, federal authorities to the scene.
I stood up slowly, looking toward the main road to flag down the approaching police cruisers.
May you like
But a cold, hard metal barrel suddenly pressed directly against the back of my skull.
"Don't make a single sound," Valerius whispered from the shadows of the grapevines.
