Chapter 15 - THE PHANTOM SPONSOR
Shards of glass rained over Daniel’s back as bullets chewed into the plaster above his head. He didn't hesitate. Adrenaline surging through his veins, he kicked open the auxiliary fire exit door behind him and barreled into the service stairwell. Alarms screamed deafeningly, their red strobes disorienting the narrow descent.
Daniel sprinted through the basement loading dock, bursting into the torrential rain outside just as police sirens from the city precinct converged on the prison gates. He slipped through a gap in the perimeter fence, soaked in mud and rain, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
They had executed Evelyn Vance in broad daylight inside a maximum-security prison. If they could reach into the bowels of the state penitentiary, Maya and Lily had no chance.
Daniel reached his beat-up station wagon parked three blocks away. He tore onto the highway, dialing Maya’s number with shaking fingers.
The phone rang four times. Five times.
*Click.*
"Maya! Get Lily out of the house right now!" Daniel screamed over the engine’s roar. "Pack a bag and run! They're coming for her!"
"Daniel?" Maya’s voice was unnervingly calm. Too calm. "Take a breath. Lily is perfectly fine. We aren't at the house."
Daniel slammed his brakes, skidding across the wet lane. "What? Where are you?!"
"A wonderful gentleman came by thirty minutes ago," Maya said pleasantly, the sound of classical chamber music playing faintly in her background. "He presented legal documentation proving he is the primary trustee of Grace’s trust fund. He said you authorized an emergency transfer of Lily to the Castiglione Foundation headquarters for private security."
"Maya, NO!" Daniel roared, blood freezing in his veins. "That's him! That's the man who killed Grace!"
A heavy pause hung on the line. Then, Maya’s cheerful tone vanished completely, replaced by a smooth, deep male voice with a cold European accent.
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"Good evening, Daniel," the man said smoothly. "My name is Julian Castiglione. Your daughter is a delightful girl. She has her mother's eyes... and her mother's musical gift. If you ever wish to see her breathe again, bring the cipher key to the Grand Philharmonic Hall at midnight. Come alone, or I will ensure her next fall is from a much greater height."
***
