Chapter 3 - THE UNWELCOME KNOCKThe noise came again. A heavy, deliberate thud against the wooden frame of their door, followed by the muffled murmur of adult voices whispering in the shadows of the stairwell.
“Check the perimeter. Mrs. Vail wants this quiet. No cops, no press. Just secure the asset.”
Nolan’s blood ran cold. Private security. Not local police, but corporate fixers hired by Vail Assurance—men who didn't care about laws, warrants, or public safety. They cared about damage control.
Leah bolted upright on the sofa, her eyes wide with sheer, unadulterated terror. She let out a sharp gasp, dropping her ballet bag as its contents spilled across the floor—including a crushed, water-damaged notebook and a small, gold-plated flash drive.
"They found me," Leah whimpered, trembling so violently she could barely speak. "Please... they're going to take me back to the facility. They said if I told anyone what I saw in Mom’s safe, they’d lock me away forever."
Nolan didn't hesitate. He scooped Leah up into his arms, his heart hammering against his ribs like a sledgehammer.
"Jamie," Nolan hissed, his voice iron-hard. "Grab your backpack. Put that flash drive and the notebook inside. Now!"
Jamie scrambled across the floor, sweeping up the items just as a loud, violent pounding shook the apartment door.
"Open up! Seattle Police Department! We know someone is inside!" a harsh voice barked from the hallway.
Lies. Real police didn't hide their badges or whisper threats in the dark.
"Through the kitchen window!" Nolan directed, carrying Leah toward the back. "There’s a fire escape ladder leading down to the alley behind the pawn shop. Go, Jamie! Move!"
They burst into the kitchen as the front door gave a sickening groan under the weight of a heavy kick. The lock shattered. Wood splintered. Heavy boots stepped onto the linoleum floor.
Jamie scrambled out the window first, the cold rain catching his face as he dropped onto the rusted iron grating of the fire escape. Nolan handed Leah down to him, shouting instructions over the rising wind, then slipped through the window himself just as a flashlight beam sliced across the kitchen walls.
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"Over here! The window’s open!" a voice shouted from inside.
Nolan, Jamie, and Leah raced down the twisting, slippery metal steps into the dark, labyrinthine alleyway of the south side, vanishing into the freezing Seattle night just as the pursuers spilled out behind them.
