Chapter 5 - THE ESCAPE INTO THE DARKThe metal ductwork was narrow, claustrophobic, and pitch black.
I cradled Lily tightly against my chest with one arm, using my elbows and knees to drag myself forward through the freezing steel tube. Every inch of movement scraped against my skin, but adrenaline kept the pain at bay. Behind me, muffled by layers of reinforced concrete and steel, a dull, thunderous thud shook the earth.
Victor had blown the vault door.
A sharp burst of gunfire echoed through the metal network, followed by the shattering of glass and the roar of angry men. My tears mixed with the grime on my face, but I didn't stop crawling. I couldn't. Lily's life depended on every agonizing inch I gained.
After what felt like an eternity, the duct widened. A faint sliver of moonlight filtered through a rusted iron grate ahead.
With a final, desperate heave, I slammed my shoulder against the grate. It gave way with a screech of rusted metal, sending me tumbling downward into a pile of soft, damp soil.
We had made it. The abandoned greenhouse.
Shattered glass panes littered the overgrown ferns and dead vines, but the night air was fresh and biting. Fifty feet away, half-hidden beneath a camouflage tarp, sat a sleek, matte-black Mercedes SUV.
I scrambled across the muddy floor, shielding Lily from the broken glass, and reached the vehicle's driver's side door. Miraculously, the key fob Victor had given me clicked. The doors unlocked with a soft chirp.
I strapped Lily securely into the improvised infant car seat in the back, checking her temperature again. Her skin was finally cooling down. The medicine was working.
Just as I slid into the driver's seat and hit the ignition button, the dashboard screen flashed to life. A secure, encrypted video call popped up automatically, overriding the navigation system.
Marcus Vance's face filled the display. Behind him, the interior of the underground vault was illuminated in the harsh red glow of emergency lights. Victor Moretti was nowhere to be seen.
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"Nice try, little cleaner," Marcus sneered, blood staining the collar of his shirt. "The Don is currently indisposed. But the baby... well, the baby belongs to the council now. If you want to see your uncle alive, turn the SUV around and drive back to the main gates. You have three minutes."
The screen went black.
