Chapter 2 - The Dark Glass Barrier
Jax did not wait to hear another word. He shoved past Elena and bolted out the double doors, his boots slamming against the stone steps. Outside in the paved courtyard, the night air was biting and cold. The luxury dark SUV sat silently under the pale moonlight, its tinted windows offering no reflection, hiding everything that was happening inside.
Lily was already there, her tiny palms pressed flat against the rear passenger window. Her breath fogged the glass in rapid, erratic bursts.
"Mommy! Mommy, wake up!" Lily cried out, her voice muffled by the thick, reinforced glass.
Jax sprinted across the courtyard, his chest burning. He reached the SUV in seconds, his powerful hands gripping the door handle and pulling with all his might. The metal mechanism held firm, completely dead to the touch. The electronic security lockdown had sealed the cabin airtight.
"Get back, Lily! Step away from the glass!" Jax commanded, his voice tight with desperation.
He planted his boots against the side panel of the vehicle and threw his entire muscular weight against the door frame. The metal groaned under the sudden impact, but the door refused to budge an inch. The tinted windows absorbed the sound of his efforts, making the whole scene feel like a nightmare playing out behind a soundproof wall.
Inside the driver seat, a figure lay slumped sideways across the console, completely motionless. The dim dashboard lights cast an eerie green glow over her face, highlighting the unnatural angle of her neck.
"She is not moving, Jax! She is not waking up!" Lily sobbed, clawing weakly at the slick paint of the car door.
Jax looked down at the key fob in Elena's hand, which she had dropped onto the pavement as she ran out behind them. He lunged down, snatched the plastic remote from the ground, and jammed his thumb frantically against the unlock button. The car remained dead. No flashing lights, no clicking sound of release.
"The battery in the fob is dead," Jax muttered, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"Use something! Break the window!" Elena screamed, arriving breathless at the edge of the courtyard.
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Jax scanned the ground, his eyes locking onto a heavy cast-iron garden bench sitting near the brick wall. He sprinted toward it, his mind racing through every possible scenario. If he broke the glass, the shattered shards could rain down directly onto the person slumped inside. But if he did not act right now, the lack of oxygen inside the sealed cabin would finish the job before help could ever arrive.
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