Chapter 4 - THE SAFEHOUSEWe escaped through the service elevator and plunged into the stormy night through the basement loading dock. Hannah’s personal car was parked nearby. She shoved me into the passenger seat, threw the car into reverse, and tore out of the alleyway just as headlight beams cut through the rain behind us.
For forty-five minutes, Hannah drove through winding, unlit backroads, constantly checking her rearview mirror until the pursuers were finally lost in the storm.
We arrived at an isolated cabin nestled deep within the pine woods outside the city.
“My father’s old hunting cabin,” Hannah panted, turning off the engine. “No Wi-Fi, no smart devices, no GPS routing. You’re safe here for now.”
Inside, she patched up my chest and gave me an anti-inflammatory injection to reduce the swelling in my throat. By 4:00 AM, my voice was slowly returning, though it sounded rough and fractured.
“Thank you, Hannah,” I whispered, staring at the steel drive sitting on the wooden table. “You risked your life for a patient you didn't even know.”
“I knew your father, Clara,” Hannah said quietly, pulling two cups of hot tea from the kitchen. “Dr. Arthur Vance was a good man. When he founded Vance-Cybertech, he donated millions to this hospital’s oncology wing. When I saw what those bastards did to your neck... I wasn't going to let them finish the job.”
I took a sip of tea, feeling the warmth soothe my raw throat. “Mary said something before she left. She said Beckett wasn't working alone. She said the board meeting at 9:00 AM was already set.”
“Can you stop them with that drive?” Hannah asked, gesturing to the steel drive.
“The drive has the master encryption keys to the company’s core architecture,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “Without it, they can’t sell the software to their offshore buyer. But Beckett knew that. He wasn't trying to steal the key—he was trying to make me disappear so his power of attorney would automatically trigger.”
May you like
I picked up the drive. “I need to get into Vance-Cybertech’s headquarters before 9:00 AM. But I can’t walk through the front door. The police are probably compromised, and Mary has guards at every entrance.”
Hannah smiled faintly, pulling a keycard out of her pocket. “Who said anything about the front door?”
