Chapter 2 - THE GARAGE WAS NEVER EMPTY|
The elevator descended with a soft mechanical hum.
Audrey stood alone beneath the mirrored ceiling, one hand gripping the rail and the other resting on the curve of her stomach. The baby had been restless since dinner. Now, strangely, she was still.
Eddie's warning replayed in her mind.
Don't go down. The garage—
She pressed the emergency stop.
The elevator jolted and halted between floors.
Her phone rang again. Ronin.
She watched his name flash across the screen until it stopped. Then a message appeared.
Stay where you are. Do not leave the building.
Audrey almost laughed.
For eleven years, Ronin had told her where she could go, which streets were safe, which people were trustworthy, and which questions were better left unanswered. She had accepted more of those restrictions than she cared to admit because she believed his concern came from love.
Tonight, she had discovered that love could apparently include bringing another woman to her chair.
She pressed the emergency call button.
“Security,” a man's voice answered.
“This is Audrey Hail. I need the elevator opened.”
“Mrs. Keane, please remain inside.”
“Why?”
A pause.
“There's an incident in the garage.”
“What kind of incident?”
“We're handling it.”
Audrey closed her eyes.
“Is someone waiting for me?”
Silence.
That was enough.
She pressed the button again.
“Open the elevator.”
“Mrs. Keane, don't—”
The lights flickered.
Then a heavy impact sounded above her.
Audrey stumbled against the wall. The baby kicked sharply, and pain tightened across her lower abdomen.
She breathed slowly, the way her obstetrician had taught her.
In for four.
Out for six.
Another impact.
The elevator doors shuddered.
A man's voice came through the intercom.
“Mrs. Keane? It's Eddie. Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“Listen carefully. The garage entrance has been compromised. Someone has disabled the cameras and blocked the west exit.”
“Who?”
“I don't know yet. I'm coming to get you.”
“Where is Ronin?”
Eddie hesitated.
“Upstairs.”
“Then tell him I'm not going to the garage.”
“Good. Stay inside.”
The elevator began moving again.
Audrey pressed the button for the ballroom level. When the doors opened, she found Eddie waiting with two guards.
His expression was grim.
“Mrs. Keane, we need to move.”
“Where?”
“Private service corridor. There's a secure vehicle at the loading dock.”
She looked at the men behind him.
“Who is in the garage?”
Eddie lowered his voice.
“Two vehicles entered without authorization. One of our drivers is missing. Another has been found injured.”
“Is this connected to Ronin?”
“I believe so.”
“Does he know?”
“Yes.”
“And he still hasn't come down?”
Eddie looked away.
Audrey understood.
Ronin had chosen to remain upstairs, where Celeste and the donors were, while his security chief tried to protect his pregnant wife.
Or perhaps he had been prevented from leaving.
She followed Eddie toward the service corridor. Halfway there, her phone rang again.
This time it was Douglas Prentiss.
“Audrey,” he said urgently. “Where are you?”
“Leaving.”
“Don't sign anything else. Whatever Ronin tells you, don't sign anything.”
She stopped walking.
“What are you talking about?”
“I can't explain over the phone. There are documents in the foundation's name that you need to see.”
“Which documents?”
“Transfers. A property purchase. Your signature appears on them.”
“I didn't sign anything.”
“I know.”
The call ended.
Audrey stared at the screen.
Eddie turned.
“What happened?”
“Someone has been using my signature.”
His face changed.
“Mrs. Keane, we need to get you out of here now.”
They reached the loading dock. A black SUV waited beside the delivery entrance. One guard opened the rear door.
Audrey was about to climb inside when she noticed a white envelope on the passenger seat.
Her name was written across it.
Not Mrs. Keane.
Audrey Hail.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph of her standing outside her obstetrician's office two weeks earlier. On the back, someone had written:
Your husband isn't the only person who knows about the baby.
Audrey looked up.
A vehicle's headlights appeared at the far end of the loading dock.
Eddie drew his weapon.
“Get inside!”
But Audrey had already recognized the driver.
It was Ronin.
May you like
And he wasn't alone.
Celeste sat beside him.
