Chapter 9 - The Basement GateThe Town Car screeched to a halt half-on the sidewalk near the rear intake ramp of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building.
"Go!" Marcus shouted, throwing the car into park. "I'll draw them toward the front plaza."
Claire didn't hesitate. She grabbed Sarah’s arm, and the two women tumbled out of the car into the biting cold. The wind swept down the concrete canyon between the government buildings, raw and deafening.
Behind them, the black Suburban turned the corner onto Cardinal Hayes Place, its tires screaming against the asphalt.
"Here!" Sarah pointed toward a rusted iron grate set into the foundation of the old municipal annex. A steep flight of concrete stairs led down into the dark.
Claire’s knee caught the handrail as she scrambled down, the metal freezing through her thin leggings. Her breath came in ragged, wheezing gasps. She could feel the baby kicking hard against her ribs, an erratic, frantic fluttering.
At the bottom of the stairs, a heavy steel door was set with an old-style optical barcode scanner.
Sarah grabbed the faded blue lanyard, her hands trembling so violently she dropped the card into the slush twice.
"Hurry," Claire whispered, glancing up the stairwell.
A heavy footstep echoed on the concrete above them. A man in a dark charcoal coat stepped onto the top landing—Arthur’s head of private security, Miller.
"Mrs. Sterling!" Miller called down, his voice chillingly polite. "Mr. Sterling just wants to talk. Let’s not make this difficult."
Sarah jammed the card into the scanner slot.
The red LED blinked once. Twice.
Beep.
The magnetic lock released with a heavy, hydraulic clunk. Sarah threw her shoulder against the door, and the two women fell inside just as Miller reached the bottom of the steps. Sarah slammed the door shut and threw the manual deadbolt.
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A heavy fist hammered on the outside of the steel plate, once, twice, three times.
Then silence.
