Chapter 4 - The Iron Room
The guest suite was not a bedroom; it was a holding cell disguised with tasteful floral wallpaper and expensive mahogany furniture. Julian shoved Maya through the doorway with enough force to send her stumbling onto the edge of the plush queen-sized bed. Before she could regain her balance, he stepped back into the hallway and pulled the heavy door shut. The ominous click of the deadbolt turning echoed through the silent room like a gunshot.
Maya rushed to the door, slamming her palms against the wood. "Julian! Let me out of here! This is kidnapping!"
"Quiet down," Julian’s muffled voice filtered through the wood. "The windows are barred, and the staff knows not to answer. Rest, Maya. Tomorrow, we are having guests for dinner, and you will wear your pearls and smile."
Footsteps retreated down the hall, leaving Maya in absolute, suffocating silence. She turned around, taking stock of her prison. The room was dark, illuminated only by a sliver of amber light cutting through the gap under the door. She walked over to the tall windows, pulling back the heavy velvet curtains. True to his word, thick wrought-iron security bars were bolted directly into the exterior brickwork. There was no escape through the glass.
Frustrated and desperate, Maya began searching the room for anything she could use as a tool. She checked the nightstands—empty except for a heavy ceramic lamp. She checked the antique armoire—filled with modest, conservative dresses that Eleanor had probably chosen for her. Just as she was about to give up hope, her foot brushed against something metallic beneath the edge of the large wool rug near the closet.
She knelt down and pulled back the corner of the heavy rug. Embedded in the hardwood floor was a small, brass-plated floor safe, its combination dial gleaming faintly in the dim ambient light. Maya’s heart hammered against her ribs. Why would there be a safe in a guest room?
She reached out and spun the dial experimentally. It clicked softly, but remained locked. She needed a combination.
Suddenly, a faint scraping sound came from the air vent near the ceiling. Maya froze, holding her breath as a low, raspy whisper drifted down from the metal grate above her head.
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"Don't touch the safe," a faint, trembling voice hissed from inside the ventilation shaft. "If Julian catches you looking, he will kill you just like he did the last one."
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