Chapter 8 - The Betrayal Within
The subterranean escape tunnel was damp, echoing with the sound of dripping water and distant gunfire. Marcus was waiting at the mouth of the tunnel with a reinforced tactical van idling in the pitch black.
"Get in the back," Marcus ordered sharply, opening the rear doors.
Darra scrambled inside, pulling Chloe onto the bench seat. Marcus climbed into the driver's seat, slamming his door shut and hitting the gas. The van rocketed forward through the reinforced concrete drainage pipe, bursting out into the cool, rainy night air of the rugged hills behind the estate.
Darra let out a shuddering breath of relief. They were out. They were safe.
She looked down at Chloe, who was trembling violently. "It's okay, baby. We're okay," Darra whispered, stroking the little girl's hair.
As the van sped down the winding mountain road, Darra looked up through the rearview mirror to catch Marcus's eyes. But something was wrong. The security chief wasn't looking at the road ahead. He was watching her in the mirror, and a cold, ruthless smile was carved across his face.
"Marcus," Darra said, her voice tightening with sudden dread. "Where are we going? The city is back the other way."
Marcus didn't answer. He took a sharp, screeching turn off the main highway onto a desolate, unpaved logging road that led deep into the abandoned industrial quarry overlooking the ocean.
"Marcus! Stop the car!" Darra screamed, lunging forward toward the front seat.
Marcus slammed on the brakes. The van skidded sideways on the gravel, coming to a violent halt against an rusted iron barrier. Before Darra could reach the front, the side door was yanked open from the outside.
Two masked men grabbed Darra by the arms, dragging her out of the van onto the wet gravel.
"No! Let me go!" Darra thrashed wildly, trying to protect Chloe, who was screaming in terror inside the vehicle.
Marcus stepped out of the driver's seat, calmly adjusting his cuffs. He pulled a silver lighter from his pocket and clicked it open and shut.
"You?" Darra gasped, her chest heaving as the masked men pinned her to the hood of the van. "You're the one who set the fire at the hotel? You tried to kill Aiden’s daughter?"
Marcus smiled coldly. "Aiden is a brilliant visionary, Darra. But he’s soft. He cares about ethics, safety protocols, and his precious family. Ashworth Industries is worth billions, and Aiden was planning to divest half of our defense contracts to fund clean energy. He was ruining the company." Marcus exhaled a slow breath. "The fire at the Grand Horizon was supposed to be a warning. Just a warning. But you had to play hero, didn't you?"
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Darra glared at him with pure hatred. "Aiden trusted you."
"Aiden trusts too many people," Marcus replied smoothly. "And now, unfortunately, history is going to repeat itself. Only this time, there won't be a housekeeping maid running up the stairs."
