Chapter 4: The Escape**
Before Vince could comprehend the broken chair, Marcus surged upward like a coiled spring. With rope still trailing from his right wrist, he drove his shoulder straight into Vince’s midsection, slamming the heavier man onto the concrete with bone-crushing force.
Sal lunged forward with the pliers, but Marcus caught his wrist mid-air, twisting it savagely until the joint snapped with a wet pop. Sal screamed, dropping to his knees. Marcus delivered a precise, merciless blow to Sal's temple, knocking him cold instantly.
Vince scrambled for the discarded crowbar, but Marcus pinned him down with a heavy boot on his sternum. "Tell Dominic I’m coming," Marcus growled in a low, terrifying timbre.
He knocked Vince unconscious with a sharp strike, grabbed Sal’s discarded coat and car keys from his belt, and turned toward the timber crates.
"Lily. It's time to go."
The little girl peeked out from behind the wood. She was trembling, holding her teddy bear tightly against her chest, her wide eyes staring at the fallen men. Marcus immediately knelt down, concealing his bloody knuckles inside his coat pockets. He softened his expression, masking the predator behind the gentle man she had comforted moments earlier.
"You were very brave," Marcus whispered softly, offering his open hand.
Lily hesitated for a brief second before stepping over the dusty floorboards and placing her small hand inside his broad, calloused palm. "Are we going to find Momma?"
May you like
Marcus closed his fingers gently around hers. "We're going to keep you safe first. Come on."
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