Chapter 15 - The Hunted
The heavy rain pounded against the dark city pavement as I ran, gripping Sophia's tiny hand tightly in mine.
I had made a massive, fatal mistake by leaving the printed files on Nathan's coffee table. Nathan might have been too paralyzed by guilt to stop me, but his father, Arthur Cole, still had eyes everywhere inside the mansion. Arthur knew I had seen the highly classified documents, and he was not going to let a former maid destroy his billion-dollar legacy.
A sleek, black SUV with heavily tinted windows slowly rolled down the empty street behind us. My blood ran completely cold. It was the same type of vehicle that had run David off the road three years ago.
I picked Sophia up, ignoring the burning ache in my arms, and darted into a narrow, unlit alleyway.
The SUV screeched to a halt at the corner. Two men in dark suits stepped out into the pouring rain. They didn't look like standard corporate security; they moved with the cold, lethal precision of professional hitmen. One of them pulled a silenced pistol from his jacket.
I pressed my back flat against the cold, wet brick wall of a closed bakery, holding my breath. Sophia buried her face in my shoulder, shivering violently from the freezing rain. I gently covered her mouth to ensure she wouldn't make a sound.
"Check the loading docks," one of the men growled, his heavy footsteps splashing in the deep puddles just inches from our hiding spot. "Mr. Cole wants this loose end tied up permanently tonight. No witnesses."
Tears mixed with the cold rain on my cheeks. I had to get the digital evidence of Project Icarus to the FBI, but I didn't even have the flash drive. All I had was my memory of the files. I was completely defenseless against a billionaire's private army.
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As the men walked further down the alley, a side door to the bakery suddenly clicked open behind me. A strong hand shot out of the darkness, grabbing my jacket and pulling me roughly inside the pitch-black building. I opened my mouth to scream, but a familiar voice whispered urgently in my ear.
"Quiet! If you want to live, do exactly as I say."
