Chapter 3 - Three Minutes
“Called who?” Daniel demanded.
Sarah tried to stand and nearly collapsed. Daniel caught her.
“The man who took me,” she said. “If Vanessa triggered the alarm, he’ll come.”
Vanessa backed up another stair. “Sarah is confused. She’s been through trauma.”
Sarah laughed bitterly. “You chained me to a pipe two nights ago.”
Daniel looked down. A red mark circled Sarah’s ankle.
Something inside him turned cold.
He pulled out his phone and dialed 911.
No signal.
The concrete room blocked reception.
“Upstairs,” he said. “Now.”
They climbed. Lily refused to let go of Sarah’s hand. The moment Daniel reached the storage room, his phone caught one bar.
Before he could call, the mansion lights died.
Lily screamed.
A second later, the backup generator should have started.
It didn’t.
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“You said the generator was serviced last week.”
“I thought it was.”
Sarah gripped his arm. “He knows the house.”
“Who?”
A crash sounded downstairs.
Daniel moved Lily and Sarah into the hall bathroom, the only upstairs room with a solid lock and no exterior balcony.
“Stay here. Don’t open this door unless you hear my voice.”
Lily grabbed him. “Don’t go.”
“I’m not leaving you. I’m keeping whoever came in from getting up here.”
Sarah whispered, “Daniel, his name is Grant Cole.”
Daniel stared at her.
Grant was his business partner. His best friend since college. Lily called him Uncle Grant.
“That’s impossible.”
“So was finding me behind your wall.”
A floorboard creaked at the bottom of the stairs.
Daniel shut the bathroom door and turned.
Vanessa was gone.
He moved through the dark hallway, listening.
“Vanessa?”
No answer.
He reached the stair landing and saw a shadow crossing the foyer below.
“Grant?” he called.
The shadow stopped.
Then came a low, familiar voice.
“Dan, don’t do anything stupid.”
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
Grant stepped into the moonlight spilling through the front windows.
He held a pistol.
“Where’s Vanessa?” Daniel asked.
May you like
Grant raised the gun.
“More important question,” he said. “Where’s Sarah?”
