Chapter 4 - Escape into the Snow
The door clicked shut behind Emma, plunging her into near-total darkness save for the amber glow of the emergency exit signs overhead. The sound of gunfire echoed hollowly down the concrete stairwell, making her ears ring.
Keep moving, she told herself, tears streaming down her face as she buried Lily's head against her chest to shield her from the noise. Just keep moving down.
She ran down flight after flight of stairs, her legs burning, her high-heeled work shoes long since discarded or slipping off her feet. She was barefoot now, the cold concrete biting into her soles, but she didn't care. Her only focus was keeping her daughter safe.
By the time she reached the ground floor, her lungs felt like fire. She pushed open the heavy service exit door and burst out into the freezing Chicago alleyway. Snow was falling again, swirling in the harsh wind off Lake Michigan.
She needed to get away from the building, find a phone, call the police. But as she rounded the corner toward the main street, a black SUV idling by the curb suddenly threw its high beams on, blinding her.
The passenger door flew open, and a heavy hand grabbed Emma by the shoulder, jerking her backward.
"Got her," a gruff voice grunted.
Emma let out a terrified scream, kicking and thrashing. "Let me go! Leave my baby alone!"
She tried to shield Lily, twisting her body to take the brunt of the force, but the man was too strong. He shoved her toward the open door of the vehicle. Just as darkness threatened to pull her under, a deafening crack split the night air.
The man holding her stiffened, dropped his grip, and slumped sideways into the snow.
Emma scrambled back, gasping for breath. Standing at the mouth of the alley, smoke curling from the barrel of a pistol in his hand, was Roman.
His suit jacket was torn at the shoulder, a dark stain of blood blooming across his white shirt, but his eyes were blazing with unbridled fury. He looked like an avenging angel carved out of ice and steel.
"Get in the car," Roman ordered, grabbing the steering wheel of the idling SUV—which belonged to Vance's men—and shoving the driver's body out onto the pavement. "Now, Emma!"
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Without wasting a second, Emma climbed into the back seat, clutching Lily, who had finally started to cry, her tiny wails cutting through the cold night.
Roman leaped into the driver's seat, slammed the door, and stomped on the gas. The SUV fishtailed on the icy asphalt before rocketing out of the alley and disappearing into the snowy Chicago night, leaving Vance and his remaining men behind in the burning wreckage of their plan.
