Chapter 13: Sanctuary and Strategy
Julian burst through the basement stairwell door into the ground-floor reception area, his chest heaving. He didn't stop to catch his breath. He scrambled up the grand wooden staircase toward the second floor, taking the steps two at a time. Behind him, heavy boots pounded against the floorboards below—they were right behind him.
He reached the second-floor landing and threw open the door to his private office.
Claire was standing by the sofa, wide-eyed and alert. Lily was awake now, clutching her stuffed bear, her blue eyes filled with silent terror as she looked at Julian’s disheveled appearance.
"Julian! What happened?" Claire rushed forward, grabbing his arm.
"Marcus is downstairs. He has backup," Julian gasped out the words, locking the heavy oak office door with shaking hands and throwing the deadbolt. He dragged his heavy mahogany desk across the floor to barricade the entrance. "We need to get out of the building. Now."
"The fire escape," Claire pointed toward the large arched window at the back of the office that led to the exterior iron staircase. "It’s locked from the inside, but there's a safety latch."
Julian didn't waste a second. He grabbed a heavy glass paperweight from the desk and smashed the small emergency release pane of the window, reaching inside to flip the heavy iron latch. The window swung outward, letting in a rush of cold autumn air and the ambient sounds of the city outside.
"Come on," Julian said, scooping Lily up into his arms. The little girl buried her face in his shoulder, holding onto her bear with white-knuckled intensity. "Hold on tight to Uncle Julian, sweetie. We're going on an adventure."
Claire scrambled out onto the narrow iron platform of the fire escape first, her boots ringing softly against the metal grate. Julian followed closely behind with Lily in his arms, stepping out into the dark alleyway behind the building. As they descended the metal stairs toward the back alley, the muffled sound of a shoulder hitting the office door echoed from above.
Bang!
Marcus’s men had reached the door.
Julian hurried down the final steps, setting Lily safely on the pavement of the alley. Claire grabbed her hand, and the three of them sprinted toward the rental car parked half a block away. Julian fumbled with his keys, unlocking the doors with shaking hands, and practically bundled Claire and Lily into the back seat before sliding into the driver's seat.
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He slammed his foot on the accelerator, tires squealing against the asphalt as they shot out of the alleyway and into the safety of the main thoroughfare.
In the rear-view mirror, Julian saw two figures emerge from the back of the building, shouting and waving their arms, but the rental car was already accelerating into the night, putting distance between them and the crumbling empire behind them.
