Chapter 15 - The Red Lever
The first shot hit a pipe above Mara's head. Water burst from the ceiling as she and Laila ducked behind a stack of empty pallets.
Two guards raced toward the main stairwell, firing at shadows. Police were outside. Mara heard an officer ordering them to put their weapons down.
"The loading door," Laila whispered. "Claire said there's a lever."
They crawled past a broken refrigerator, leaving wet streaks on the concrete. Mara's wrist burned; Laila limped.
At the end of the corridor, the lever glowed red beneath a dusty safety cover.
"Ready?" Mara asked.
Laila nodded.
Mara pulled. An alarm screamed, a heavy door groaned upward, and icy morning air rushed into the hall.
"Police! Hands where I can see them!" a voice shouted.
Mara raised her good hand. "We were locked inside! There are more people!"
Officers guided them behind a protective vehicle while others entered the corridor. Claire emerged moments later with her hands up, crying and shouting Yasmin's name.
Mara couldn't see Nico. She was glad. This rescue belonged to people who had shown up to do their jobs, not to a man performing heroics for an audience.
A paramedic wrapped Mara in a blanket. "What's your name?"
"Mara Reed. My daughter is Sophie. She's six. Please tell her I'm here."
The paramedic repeated the name over the radio. Mara closed her eyes, hearing it travel farther than her own voice could reach.
Simone appeared beside the ambulance and crouched to meet Mara's gaze.
"Sophie is safe," she said. "Tessa and a social worker are with her."
Mara covered her face and sobbed without making a sound.
Then Simone's radio crackled.
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The warehouse supervisor had escaped through the rear loading area. He had taken a folder of witness statements and a handgun.
But he had dropped his phone. Its last map search was the exact address of Sophie's protected apartment.
