Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Rain
The rain drenched Elena’s crimson satin gown within seconds, weighing down the heavy fabric until it clung to her skin like cold lead. She carried Maya down three flights of slippery metal fire-escape stairs, her muscles screaming in agony, before reaching the industrial alley behind the residential tower. The alley was dark, smelling of damp brick and diesel fumes.
Maya clung to her neck, shivering uncontrollably, her forehead burning against Elena’s jawline. ""Mommy... I'm cold. Where are we going?""
""Somewhere safe, sweetheart. Just stay quiet for Mommy.""
At the corner of the alley, a black, unmarked sedan sat idling, its headlights off. Elena froze, instincts screaming at her to turn back. Julian’s private security detail often used black sedans. She backed away toward the shadows of a commercial dumpster, looking frantically for another exit.
The driver-side door opened slowly. A figure stepped out into the rain holding a massive black umbrella. It was not one of Julian’s burly bodyguards. It was a slender woman in a dark trench coat, her hair tucked neatly into a fedora. As the streetlight caught her face, Elena’s breath hitched.
""Clara?"" Elena gasped.
Clara had been her father’s most trusted corporate attorney, forced out of the family firm by Julian’s aggressive legal maneuvers three years ago. Everyone believed Clara had fled abroad in disgrace.
""Get in, Elena,"" Clara urged in a sharp, urgent whisper, extending the umbrella over them. ""Julian has already dispatched two tracking teams to the toll roads. He thinks you're headed to your sister’s estate in upstate. If we aren't clear of this grid in five minutes, his private security will track your cell phone's last ping.""
Elena yanked her phone from her purse, smashed it against the brick wall with the heel of her shoe, and climbed into the backseat. Clara slammed the door, hit the accelerator, and the sedan glided seamlessly into the rainy city traffic.
In the rear seat, Clara tossed a woolen blanket and a thermos to Elena. ""Drink. You need to keep your strength up. The message you received earlier? That was from me. But the hack on Julian’s accounts wasn't.""
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Elena’s heart skipped a beat as she wrapped the warm blanket around Maya. ""Then who froze his money?""
Clara looked into the rearview mirror, her eyes grim. ""A man who spent the last six years in federal prison because of Julian Vance. And he wants to meet you tonight.""
