ry
I muttered, abandoning my post on the balcony. I strode quickly through the dimly lit back corridors, my heels bit
d. A text banner from Caleb popped up across the top: View-only, Mommy. Don't worry, we got this.
the hum of ventilation fans and the occasional drip of condensation. It was a showroom of wealth: Fe
ent, was leaning against a concrete
st sent to the driver's device: Congratulations! You've won
ff voice echoed faintly through the garage's hacked security mic.
lked
d, a small ventilation grate near t
nees. He was followed by Sophie, w
, her voice picking up pe
arpiece beneath my hair. "Cameras looped. Y
pace to a near-run. The garage was all t
ped his backpack. He pulled out a can of ne
clack-
echoed in
ght up to the pristine blac
SHH
, jagged, crooked
hie encouraged, bo
BEAT. It dripped pink slime
t," Noa
," Caleb commande
into the car's external sensor
elevator chime
ort!" Soph
thick concrete pillar. Sophie turned to run, but her foot caught on a grease
er. It was a secur
ach. He stopped dead in his tr
io. "Control, we have a 10-99 in the VIP gar
ing it in, Sophie sprinted across t
go!" Noah
d back into
s frame, Sophie reached up
touched her ponytail. The custom velv
id, pulling her arm.
over me as I saw them securely back inside the access stairwell.
back to the playroom myself, when my colleague Lau
nt demands your expe
situation to handle," I said, rubbi
"It is Ms. Claire Hayes. She is... making a scene. She is threat
aused a scene and triggered a full security lockdown, guards would sweep every co
us calm settled over me. I adjusted my m
ify her to buy the kids time to get ba
els clicking against the marble floo
red th
he looked exactly the same as she had five years ago-beau
r eyes raking over me and my m
e asked. "Fetch me some
yes hidden behind the mask, burni
said, my voice dropping to a low,
arly surprised by t
, walking slowly to the table. "Show
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