Chapter 9 - FIRE IN THE WEST WING
“Window!” Daniel shouted.
Marcus kicked the nursery door.
Heat exploded through the crack.
The hallway was burning.
“Window!”
Elena ran to it.
Three floors down.
No fire escape.
Marcus ripped curtains from the wall.
“Help me tie these.”
Smoke filled the room.
Elena coughed.
The baby twisted hard inside her.
“Marcus…”
“I know.”
“No. Something’s wrong.”
A contraction rolled through her.
Pain wrapped around her spine.
Daniel stared.
“Is she in labor?”
“Not now,” Elena gasped.
Marcus tied the curtain fabric around the bed frame.
“Daniel goes first. Elena next.”
“No,” Daniel said. “She goes first.”
“She can’t climb down alone.”
Another contraction hit.
Elena screamed.
“Both of you shut up!”
The ceiling cracked.
Fire punched through.
Marcus wrapped a wet blanket around Elena.
“Look at me.”
She did.
“We are getting out.”
The curtain rope reached a balcony one floor below.
Marcus climbed down first.
Daniel helped lower Elena.
Her feet found the balcony rail.
Marcus grabbed her waist.
Then the curtain knot slipped.
Daniel fell.
“Elena!”
She grabbed his wrist.
His body slammed against the wall.
Marcus reached up.
Together they pulled him onto the balcony.
The nursery windows exploded behind them.
Glass rained into the yard.
They climbed through a guest room.
Down the east stairs.
Outside.
Elena collapsed on the lawn.
Marcus called 911.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Daniel stared at the burning west wing.
“She knew exactly where we’d look.”
Marcus held Elena.
“She tried to kill us.”
“No.”
Elena watched the flames.
“She tried to destroy the evidence.”
Daniel lifted the laptop.
“I copied it.”
For the first time that night, Elena smiled.
Then Daniel’s smile vanished.
“What?”
He stared at the screen.
The files were deleting themselves.
One by one.
REMOTE WIPE IN PROGRESS.
“No, no, no.”
He shut off the computer.
Too late.
Most folders were gone.
Marcus swore.
Elena touched her stomach.
The contractions had stopped.
False labor.
Or fear.
She couldn’t tell anymore.
Police cars arrived.
So did an ambulance.
A detective approached.
Before Elena could speak, another black SUV pulled up.
Dr. Avery stepped out.
Her obstetrician.
Victoria’s longtime friend.
He walked directly to the police.
Then pointed at Elena.
“Officer, I’m her physician.”
Elena felt sick.
Dr. Avery lowered his voice.
“She’s experiencing a serious psychiatric emergency.”
Marcus exploded.
“That’s bullshit!”
Two officers moved toward him.
Dr. Avery held up a document.
“I have an emergency medical hold authorization.”
Elena stared at his signature.
And beneath it—
Victoria’s.
An officer approached Elena.
“Ma’am, we need you to come with us.”
She backed away.
“No.”
“Please don’t make this harder.”
Marcus stepped between them.
“You’re not touching my wife.”
And from across the burning lawn, Victoria appeared.
Watching.
May you like
Smiling.
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