Chapter 28 - The Shadows Close In
The sound of heavy footsteps reverberating down the concrete utility corridor sent a jolt of pure adrenaline straight through my veins. Chloe was right. Richard Vance wasn't half a world away; he was right here, hunting me down in the subterranean depths of my own building. I didn't have time to hesitate or second-guess my next move. I gripped Chloe's ruggedized laptop tightly under my arm, pulled the tactical flashlight from my coat pocket, and darted out of the server room through a secondary emergency exit door located at the back of the utility corridor. The emergency door led into a dark, narrow maintenance stairwell that wound upward toward the ground-level parking garage. I took the steps three at a time, my boots pounding rhythmically against the concrete stairs as the distant shouts of pursuers echoed behind me in the basement. Bursting through the heavy fire exit door on the parking garage level, I plunged into the cavernous, dimly lit expanse of concrete pillars and parked vehicles. The air smelled of exhaust fumes and damp asphalt. My car—the luxury sedan where I had left my purse and my phone earlier that evening—was parked in slot forty-two near the far exit ramp. I sprinted across the open concrete floor, keeping low behind the rows of parked cars to avoid being spotted by anyone entering the garage from the main elevator bank. As I reached my car, I hit the key fob unlock button, the doors responding with a sharp chirp of the horn. I yanked the driver's side door open, tossed Chloe's laptop onto the passenger seat alongside my briefcase, and slid behind the steering wheel. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I reached out to insert the key into the ignition, but as my fingers brushed the metal key ring, the interior overhead lights of the car suddenly clicked on. I froze. A tall, impeccably dressed silhouette was standing directly outside the driver's side window, leaning casually against the door frame. It was Richard Vance. Even in the dim, flickering light of the parking garage, his silver-streaked hair, expensive bespoke suit, and cold, calculating smile were unmistakably clear. He raised his right hand and gently tapped two fingers against the reinforced glass of my window, signaling for me to roll it down.
