Chapter 3 - The Burning Trap
Dominic sprinted toward the heavy metal door and grabbed the rusted handle.
He pulled with all his strength, but the door would not budget a single inch.
They were completely trapped inside the windowless warehouse.
A strange, chemical smell suddenly began to filter through the air conditioning vents above him.
Dominic looked up and saw thick, black smoke pouring into the enclosed space.
Lucian had not sent his men to capture them; he had sent them to burn the building down.
Dominic rushed back to the small cot and gently shook his mother awake.
"We have to get out of here right now," Dominic said, coughing as the smoke thickened.
He grabbed the black ledger and shoved it into the inner pocket of his jacket.
He helped Margaret to her feet, supporting her weight as they navigated the dark, smoky room.
Flames began to lick at the wooden support beams near the front entrance, spreading rapidly.
Dominic remembered seeing an old freight elevator shaft at the back of the warehouse when he was a child.
He led his mother through the blinding smoke, his eyes watering from the intense heat.
They finally reached the rusty metal doors of the elevator shaft, which were pried slightly apart.
Dominic forced his fingers into the gap and pulled the heavy doors open with a primal scream of exertion.
The elevator car was sitting at the bottom of the shaft, ten feet below them.
He climbed down the thick, greasy elevator cables, urging his mother to follow him closely.
Margaret bravely gripped the cables, sliding down into the dark pit just as the roof of the warehouse collapsed in a fiery explosion.
They huddled together on the roof of the old elevator car, safe from the immediate flames.
Dominic kicked open the emergency hatch on the ceiling of the car and helped his mother inside.
He found a manual release lever on the control panel and pulled it down with all his might.
The elevator groaned loudly and slowly began to descend into the forgotten subterranean tunnels.
They traveled downward for two terrifying minutes before the car ground to a harsh halt.
The doors hissed open, revealing a modern, brightly lit subway platform that was completely empty.
Standing at the edge of the platform was a man in a tailored suit holding a suppressed pistol.
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It was Elias, Dominic’s best friend and former business partner.
"I am so sorry, Dominic, but Lucian pays much better than you do," Elias said, raising the weapon.
