Chapter 13 - Gas in the Dark"Hold your breath!" Nathan yelled, grabbing Liam by the tactical vest and dragging him backward out of the hidden crawlspace just as the heavy steel door of the bunker automatically slammed shut, locked by a remote override.
Coughing violently, Liam wiped his eyes. "That wasn't tear gas. That was neurotoxin spray. If we stayed ten more seconds, we'd be dead."
Nathan’s phone buzzed aggressively in his pocket. He pulled it out. An unknown number was calling. He swiped to answer and hit speakerphone.
A deep, electronically distorted voice hissed through the receiver. "Mr. Hayes. You have two choices. Leave the house with your children right now and pretend you saw nothing, or the basement bunker becomes your permanent tomb. Judge Thorne sends his regards."
"Tell Thorne he's already dead," Nathan snarled into the phone.
"Is he?" the voice chuckled coldly. "Check your children's bedroom."
Ice flooded Nathan’s veins. He dropped the phone, sprinted up the stairs, and threw open Maya and Leo’s bedroom door.
May you like
The room was empty. The window was wide open, letting in the cold night air. On the pillows lay two small, familiar objects: Maya’s pink hair clip and Leo’s favorite toy truck.
They had been taken right under their noses while Nathan and Liam were in the basement.
