Chapter 5 - The Dark Hallway
The sudden darkness was suffocating. The only light came from the faint green glow of the hospital monitors running on battery backup. “Vance,” Nathaniel whispered, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. “He handles all our background checks. He’s the one who vetted Victoria’s fake identity before I ‘discovered’ her real one.” “They’ve been working together this whole time,” Eleanor sobbed in the dark. “Nathaniel, Vance was the one who brought me my tea this morning. Not Victoria. I just assumed she sent him.” My heart hammered in my throat. Vance had been standing right outside the door. He was the one who told me to come here. He hadn't been protecting Eleanor; he had been luring the evidence—and the only witness—into one room. The door handle slowly clicked, and the heavy door groaned open. A silhouette stood in the doorway, backlit by the emergency exit signs in the hallway. It was Vance. “Mr. Callaway,” Vance said, his deep voice eerily calm. “There’s been a power failure on the floor. I need to move your mother to a secure wing.” “Don’t come any closer,” Nathaniel warned, stepping in front of Eleanor’s bed. “You read the paper, didn't you?” Vance sighed, stepping into the room. He reached into his jacket. I didn't think. I just reacted. I grabbed the heavy metal IV pole next to Eleanor’s bed and swung it as hard as I could in the dark. It connected with Vance’s shoulder with a sickening crunch. He grunted, stumbling backward into the hallway. “Run!” I screamed. Nathaniel grabbed my arm, and we bolted past Vance, pulling Eleanor out of the bed. She stumbled, her bare feet hitting the cold linoleum. We dragged her down the dark corridor, pushing through the stairwell doors. We ran down three flights of stairs before Eleanor collapsed against the railing, clutching her chest. “I can't... I can't go any further.” Nathaniel picked his mother up in his arms. The billionaire, in his ruined tuxedo, carrying his mother like a child. “We need to get to my car,” Nathaniel panted. “It’s parked in the underground garage. It’s armored.” We made it to the garage level. The emergency lights cast long, creepy shadows across the concrete pillars. Nathaniel’s black SUV was parked near the elevator banks. He unlocked it with his key fob, the headlights flashing in the gloom. He loaded Eleanor into the backseat. “Get in the passenger side, Rose,” he ordered. I ran around the hood of the car. I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. Sitting in the passenger seat, wearing a dark trench coat over her white wedding dress, was Victoria. She was holding a small, silver handgun, pointed directly at my chest. “Get in, Rose,” Victoria smiled. “We’re going for a ride.”
