Chapter 11 - The Descent
Julian’s warning was punctuated by the heavy thud of boots striking the roof directly above the office. The cartel was bypassing the elevators, rappelling down the exterior facade to breach the floor's panoramic windows.
Clara grabbed the docked phone and Julian's emergency ledger, shoving them into the pink backpack. "We can't go down the stairs. Marcus is waiting in the lobby."
Lily pointed toward the old mail-chute opening behind Julian’s desk—a brass-fitted conduit that dropped through the building's core down to the basement recycling depot. Julian had once joked that a child could slide down if the world ever fell apart. It had seemed like a fairytale then; now, it was their only exit.
The first office window shattered inward, raining glass onto the mahogany desk. A masked tactical operative cleared the frame, his weapon drawn. Clara pushed Lily into the polished brass chute without a second thought. "Hold your knees up!"
Lily disappeared into the darkness, her slide swallowed by the smooth metal conduit. Clara jumped in immediately behind her as the office filled with gunfire. The sensation was terrifying, a blind, spiraling drop through the heart of the skyscraper, friction burning through their white dresses.
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They hit the canvas collection bins in the basement with a heavy thud, gasping for breath beneath mounds of shredded paper. Above them, down the length of the chute, came the shouting of men realizing they had lost their quarry once more.
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