Chapter 11
The emergency push-bar gave way with a loud metallic crash, and Marcus burst out of the back of the venue into a damp, narrow alleyway behind the building. The cool night air hit his lungs like ice. He didn't look back; he could hear his father shouting orders behind him as heavy footsteps scrambled through the shattered doorway.
"Cut him off at the end of the alley!" David’s voice barked through the dark.
Marcus sprinted down the narrow corridor, dodging wooden pallets and overflowing dumpster bins. His leather jacket restricted his movement slightly, but adrenaline kept his pace fast. He reached the end of the alley just as a pair of dark figures stepped out from the shadows, blocking his path to the main street.
Without slowing down, Marcus feinted to the left, then dropped low and ducked under the outstretched arm of the first guard, driving his shoulder into the man's chest. The guard stumbled backward, colliding with his partner, and Marcus vaulted past them onto the well-lit pavement of the main avenue.
He hailed a passing yellow cab frantically, waving his arms in the air. The taxi slowed down, pulling up to the curb with a screech of tires. Marcus yanked the rear door open, dived inside, and slammed it shut.
"Drive! Anywhere downtown, just go!" Marcus ordered the driver, panting heavily.
The cab driver glanced back in the rearview mirror with a suspicious look, but hit the gas pedal as he saw two men emerge from the alley pointing frantically at the taxi. The cab accelerated down the boulevard, leaving his father’s men far behind in the night.
Marcus slumped back against the worn vinyl seat, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He opened his palm and looked down at the small safety deposit box key resting safely in his hand. He had the key, but he knew time was running out. His father controlled half the city's legal and security apparatus; by morning, every bank in the financial district would be alerted to deny access to anyone attempting to open Maya’s account.
"Where to, buddy?" the cab driver asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"The Central Federal Bank," Marcus said firmly. "The main branch downtown."
"At three in the morning?" the driver scoffed. "Banks are closed, kid."
"I know someone who can let me in through the back," Marcus lied smoothly, leaning forward. "Just get me there before sunrise."
The driver grunted, steering the vehicle toward the towering skyscrapers of the financial district.
As the cab wove through the empty streets, Marcus pulled his phone out of his pocket. The encrypted app was still running in the background. He tapped the screen to reopen the video connection to Maya’s holding room at the precinct.
The screen flickered, but instead of the quiet detention room he had seen earlier, the feed showed an empty, disheveled cell. Maya wasn't there.
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A cold spike of panic hit Marcus’s chest. He stared at the empty cell as the cab pulled up directly in front of the imposing, marble-columned facade of the Central Federal Bank.
***
