Chapter 13
The cold Seattle rain drenched Elena’s grey suit jacket instantly, plastering her blonde hair to her forehead as she sprinted across the open tarmac toward the idling red pickup truck. Behind them, a sharp whistle cut through the roar of the downpour, followed by the heavy thud of running footsteps as the corporate security guards gave chase across the loading dock. Maya’s small legs moved in a blur, her patterned pink backpack bouncing rhythmically against her shoulders as she matched Elena’s desperate pace. The man with the scar over his left eyebrow pushed off the side of the truck cab, his eyes widening in alarm as he recognized the young girl sprinting toward him through the sheets of rain. Marcus threw open the passenger door of the truck just as Elena and Maya reached the vehicle, the engine rumbling with a deep, powerful V8 growl. “Get in! Get in right now!” Marcus roared over the sound of the rain, reaching down to hoist Maya bodily off the wet pavement and haul her onto the bench seat inside the cab. Elena scrambled up right behind her, diving into the truck and slamming the heavy metal door shut just as the first security guard burst out of the loading bay door, slipping slightly on the slick concrete. Marcus threw the truck into reverse with a violent wrench of the gear shift, tires spinning and smoking against the wet asphalt as he backed out of the parking space with expert precision, leaving the pursuing guards splashing helplessly in the spray of muddy water. As the truck rocketed forward toward the exit barrier, Marcus hit the gas, sending them surging out into the safety of the rain-slicked highway heading toward downtown Seattle.
