Chapter 6 - Descent into the Alley
The iron rates of the fire escape shrieked beneath my boots as I hurried down with the children. The alleyway below was shrouded in shadows, lit only by a flickering neon sign from the bodega across the street.
“Mommy, I’m scared,” Emma whimpered, her teeth chattering from the cold air.
“I know, baby. Just keep moving,” I panted, shifting Oliver in my arms. He was beginning to wake up, confused and blinking against the dark.
We hit the pavement just as the heavy black SUV idled near the mouth of the alley. The rear door flew open instantly. A scarred man in a black tactical vest leaned out—one of Adrian’s loyal senior guards, Mateo.
“Get in! Get in now!” Mateo barked, reaching out to haul Emma inside.
I bundled both children into the leather-lined backseat, slamming the door shut behind them. I scrambled into the front passenger seat, panting, raising my pistol toward the windshield out of pure instinct.
“Where’s the boss?” Mateo demanded, throwing the SUV into reverse and burning rubber down the narrow street.
“He’s still inside! There are men—Vasiliev’s men—they breached the apartment!”
Mateo’s jaw tightened. He reached for his radio. “Alpha team, secondary protocol. The safehouse is compromised. We have the principals. Move in on the primary target.”
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“You can’t leave him there,” I shouted over the roar of the engine.
“The boss gave a direct order, Dr. Miller,” Mateo said coldly, navigating the maze of Queens traffic with terrifying precision. “Our job is to get you and the children to the river crossing. He’s coming. He always comes.”
