Chapter 9 - THE COAL VAULT AGAIN
Emma ran.
She took the stairs three at a time.
William followed close behind.
They reached the service corridor just as the emergency lights flickered on in dull red.
The baroque painting lay smashed on the floor.
The steel hatch stood open.
Empty.
Ethan’s small blue blanket rested inside the dark cavity.
A single drop of blood marked the stone.
William’s voice broke.
“No.”
Emma dropped to her knees and touched the blood.
Still warm.
A soft electronic tone sounded from her pocket.
Her phone.
A video message.
She opened it.
Isabella’s face filled the screen.
She stood in a dim concrete room.
Ethan sat tied to a metal chair behind her.
His eyes were wide with fear.
A cloth gag covered his mouth.
Isabella smiled.
“You have six hours, Emma. Bring me the foundation deeds and the access codes to the Swiss accounts. Come alone. Any police and the boy stops breathing. The location is already on your phone. Tick tock.”
The video ended.
A map pin appeared.
An abandoned warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront.
William reached for the phone.
Emma pulled it back.
“No.”
“We call Miller.”
“She’ll kill him the second she sees a badge.”
Emma stood.
Her voice was steel.
“I go alone.”
William grabbed her arm.
“I won’t lose both of you.”
Emma looked at him.
May you like
“Then stay here and keep the foundation running. If I don’t come back, Ethan still needs a home.”
She pulled free and ran for the garage.
