Chapter 3 - Red and Blue Shadows
The wet brick walls of the alley flickered with pulsing red and blue light. The siren had been cut, leaving only the ominous low purr of an idling cruiser at the alley's mouth.
Elena backed into the shadow of an overhanging fire escape, tucking Leo beneath her server apron so completely that only the crown of his dark hair showed. The child stirred, whimpering at the sudden cold. She rocked him with subtle, frantic twitches of her hips, humming a single broken note against his ear.
""Stay behind the dumpster,"" Julian murmured, stepping out toward the mouth of the alley.
""Julian, no! They'll arrest you!""
""Better me than you,"" he said, turning back to lock eyes with her. ""If they take you into custody, Arthur gets custody of Leo by default. You need to make it to the train station.""
He reached inside his tailored coat and pulled out a worn leather wallet, shoving a thick stack of bills and a magnetic locker key into her apron pocket. His knuckles brushed her waist, lingering for a fraction of a second—a painful reminder of the life they had built in their small brick cottage before his family tore it apart.
""Locker 414. South Station,"" he whispered. ""New identities. Birth certificates. Everything.""
""Why did you wait until tonight to bring him to me?"" she begged, her voice cracking.
""Because today Arthur filed the final injunction. If I hadn't snatched Leo from the nursery during his evening walk, Arthur would have sent him to a boarding facility in Switzerland by morning.""
A harsh flashlight beam sliced through the alley mist, blinding them.
""Julian Vance! Keep your hands where we can see them!"" a voice barked through a megaphone.
May you like
Julian shoved Elena deeper into the shadow of the recessed basement stairwell behind the bins. ""Run through the butcher shop basement,"" he commanded softly. ""Now.""
As Julian raised his empty hands and stepped into the blinding spotlight, Elena turned and kicked open the rusted cellar latch.
