Chapter 10
The floor beneath their boots vibrated violently, sending a tremor up through the metal grating of the walk-in freezer. A dull, concussive boom echoed from the front of the diner, followed immediately by the sound of buckling steel and the terrifying rush of spreading flames.
Clara grabbed the front of Marcus’s soaked shirt, her eyes wide with unadulterated terror. “They didn't just break in, Marcus. They rigged the front entrance. They’re burning the building down around us!”
Marcus didn't panic. His dark eyes flickered toward the ceiling vents and the heavy metal door. The explosion meant the front exit was completely sealed off by a wall of fire. The alley exit was likely covered by the remaining operatives waiting in the smoke. They were trapped inside a tomb of ice and fire.
“Stay calm,” Marcus instructed, his voice dropping into that steady, unflappable register that defied the chaos surrounding them. He let go of her face and immediately turned to the back wall of the walk-in unit, scanning the industrial shelving units.
Behind a heavy rack of frozen beef crates lay something most customers—and most health inspectors—never saw: a low, rectangular access hatch bolted securely into the concrete foundation, labeled with a faded industrial stencil reading EMERGENCY UTILITY TUNNEL - DISTRICT SEWAGE & DRAINAGE.
Marcus grabbed a heavy steel meat hook from a nearby rack, wedging the sharp end into the seam of the bolted hatch. He threw his entire body weight against the tool, his muscles straining under the immense physical exertion. The rusted bolts groaned, protesting loudly against the torque.
Outside the freezer door, the sound of heavy boots crunching over debris grew closer. Muffled voices shouted commands through the thick steel partition. Someone was banging on the exterior of the walk-in door with the butt of a rifle.
“Open up! We know you’re in there!” a harsh voice yelled from the other side.
Marcus ignored them. He wrenched the meat hook upward with a savage roar, snapping the final rusted bolt with a loud crack. The heavy metal hatch popped open, releasing a blast of damp, stagnant air from the underground drainage network beneath the city streets.
Julian suddenly appeared from behind a row of hanging produce, coughing violently from the smoke that had begun seeping through the freezer’s ventilation gaps. His expensive suit was ruined, covered in soot and water, his face smeared with grease.
“Is that... is that a sewer drain?” Julian choked out, staring down into the dark, rectangular opening with absolute disgust. “You expect us to crawl through raw sewage? I’m an officer of the court! I won't—"
Before Julian could finish his arrogant protest, Marcus grabbed him by the back of his ruined collar and hoisted him effortlessly off his feet, dangling the lawyer directly over the open hatch.
“You can either crawl through the sewage and live to regret what you did to your sister, or I can drop you down there right now with a broken neck and tell the cops you tried to swim,” Marcus said, his voice entirely devoid of humor.
Julian’s face went pale. He swallowed hard, nodding frantically as he looked down into the dark abyss.
May you like
Marcus dropped him unceremoniously into the hole, where Julian landed with a miserable splash in the shallow runoff water below. Marcus turned his gaze back to Clara, his expression softening just a fraction. He held out a soot-stained, bruised hand.
“Clara. Go.”
