Chapter 9
The blinding, mid-morning sunlight washed over the bustling city street, a stark contrast to the morbid chaos they had just escaped. Sarah dragged Emma through the dense crowd of onlookers and passing commuters, her black mourning dress drawing curious stares.
"Excuse me! Move!" Sarah gasped, shoving past a man in a business suit.
Behind them, the heavy chapel doors burst open. Ryan Vance charged out onto the concrete steps, his face a mask of furious desperation. He scanned the crowd, his eyes locking onto the dark fabric of Sarah's dress moving quickly through the throng.
"Sarah! Stop right there!" Ryan bellowed, shoving a bystander aside.
"Keep running, Emma," Sarah urged, hoisting the five-year-old up into her arms to move faster. Despite her petite size, Emma felt heavy, but pure adrenaline fueled Sarah's legs.
She ducked into a narrow, bustling alleyway filled with delivery trucks and overflowing dumpsters, breaking the line of sight from the main street. Her breath came in ragged, burning gasps. She needed a place to hide, a place to think. Daniel's video had explicitly told her to go to the downtown bank branch, but she couldn't lead Ryan straight to the safe deposit box.
Sarah ducked behind a large, idling delivery box truck, pressing her back against the cold, graffiti-covered brick wall. She set Emma down gently, putting a finger to her own lips. Emma nodded, pressing her small hands over her mouth to muffle her frightened panting.
Footsteps pounded heavily on the pavement at the entrance of the alley.
"Sarah!" Ryan's voice echoed off the brick walls, dangerous and breathless. "You're making this worse for yourself! The police are looking for you! You're kidnapping a Vance heir!"
Sarah held her breath, closing her eyes. She gripped the cold brick, praying the idling engine of the truck masked the sound of her ragged breathing.
"Listen to me," Ryan called out, his footsteps moving slowly, deliberately deeper into the alley. "Daniel is dead. It's tragic, but it's the truth. You have no money. Your credit cards are already frozen. My father cut the accounts this morning. You have nowhere to go. Give me the girl, hand over whatever phone you have, and we can make this go away quietly. You can walk away with a very generous settlement."
He was getting closer. The crunch of gravel beneath his expensive dress shoes was agonizingly loud.
Sarah looked down at Emma. The little girl was holding the glittery purse tightly against her chest. Inside that purse was Daniel's phone, the brass key, and the proof that the Vance family empire was built on cartel blood money. Ryan didn't want Emma; he wanted the evidence.
A large, burly delivery driver suddenly emerged from the back of an adjacent restaurant, carrying a stack of flattened cardboard boxes. He saw Ryan creeping through the alley and stopped, frowning.
"Hey, buddy," the delivery driver barked, his thick American accent booming. "This is private loading space. You need to move."
Ryan turned, startled. "Mind your own business, pal. I'm looking for my niece."
"I don't care who you're looking for. Move the suit before I call the cops," the driver challenged, dropping the boxes and crossing his massive arms.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Sarah grabbed Emma’s hand and darted out from behind the truck, sprinting toward the opposite end of the alley. They burst out onto a busy cross street, instantly swallowed by the flow of pedestrian traffic.
They hailed a passing yellow taxi, throwing themselves into the backseat before the driver even fully stopped.
"Where to, lady?" the driver asked, glancing at her mourning dress in the rearview mirror.
"First National Bank," Sarah panted, locking the doors and pulling Emma into a tight embrace. "Downtown branch. Please, hurry."
As the taxi merged into traffic, Sarah finally let out a shaking breath. She took the small, glittery purse from Emma and pulled out Daniel's black smartphone. The screen was still dark, but the small brass key taped to the back felt like a beacon of hope against her fingertips.
"Mommy," Emma whispered, resting her head against Sarah's arm. "Are we going to see Daddy now?"
Sarah looked at the phone, tears finally breaking free and rolling down her rosy cheeks. "I hope so, baby. I really hope so."
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Suddenly, the black smartphone in her hand vibrated violently. The screen illuminated the dim interior of the taxi.
It was an incoming video call. The caller ID was listed simply as: UNKNOWN.
