Part 2: The Predator at the Door
The knocking stopped, replaced by a suffocating silence that felt heavier than the blows against the wood. I stood frozen on the other side of the door, holding my breath, my hand clamped tightly over my mouth to stifle the sound of my own panic. In the next room, Sophie began to cry quietly, terrified by the noise.
"Elena," Camila's voice cut through the door. It was smooth, perfectly polished, and entirely devoid of human warmth. "I know you're awake. And I know what Alexander sent you. Open the door, and we can discuss a financial arrangement that settles this permanently. Ignore me, and things become incredibly complicated for you and your daughter."
My mind raced. Don't go to the police. She owns people there. Alexander's warning echoed in my skull like a siren. If I called 911, the sirens would just alert her assets. I was entirely on my own in a fifth-floor walk-up in Queens, with a billionaire psychopath standing on my welcome mat.
I backed away from the door slowly, making sure my bare feet didn't make a sound on the creaking floorboards. I rushed into Sophie's room, scooping her into my arms before she could make another sound.
"Mommy, is the bad woman here?" she whispered, burying her face into my neck.
"Shh, sweetie. We're going to play a game. We have to be as quiet as mice," I whispered back, my eyes darting to the window. The fire escape. It was the only way out.
I grabbed my winter coat, shoved Sophie’s feet into her sneakers, and quietly slid the window open. The freezing October air hit us like a slap. I climbed out onto the rusted metal grating, holding Sophie tightly against my chest. As I began to descend the iron stairs into the dark alley below, a loud splintering crash echoed from inside my apartment. She had broken the door down.
We hit the pavement of the alley just as a dark luxury SUV pulled up to the entrance, blocking the street. Two men in tailored black suits stepped out, flashlights cutting through the darkness.
"Check the perimeter," one of them ordered.
May you like
I ducked behind a row of industrial trash cans, pressing Sophie against the brick wall. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was an unknown number. With trembling fingers, I swiped to answer, holding it to my ear.
"You're fast, Elena," Camila's voice purred through the line. I could hear her walking around my apartment above us, the heels of her designer boots clicking on my kitchen tiles. "But you can't outrun my payroll. Leave the USB drive on the fire escape, take your daughter, and vanish. If you keep it, I'll ensure the police find enough narcotics in your apartment tomorrow morning to put you away for twenty years. Sophie will become a ward of the state. Think about your choices."
