Chapter 9 - The Race Against Time
Within three minutes, four heavy black SUVs sped out of the wedding hall's underground garage, tires screeching against the asphalt as rain began to splatter across the windshields.
Inside the lead vehicle, Adrian sat in the back seat. Clara was wrapped in a plush wool blanket beside him, drinking warm milk from a glass, while Baby Mia slept peacefully in a portable bassinet secured on the seat.
In the front passenger seat, Police Chief Callahan—a stern, grey-haired man who had been a personal friend of Adrian’s late father—was barking orders into his tactical radio.
"All units, establish a perimeter around Blackwood Estate!" Callahan barked. "Target is armed suspect guard on site. Do not wait for backup—breach the cellar immediately!"
Adrian stared out the window at the blurred city lights, his knuckles white as he squeezed the small rusted metal key in his fist.
"How is she, Clara?" Adrian asked softly, turning to his daughter. "Does Mommy smile?"
Clara looked up, her small eyes bright despite her exhaustion. "Mommy smiles when she talks about you, Daddy. She made pictures of your face on the stone wall using charcoal from the stove. She told me you were a prince who lived in a castle."
A single, painful tear escaped Adrian’s eye, slipping down his cheek into his dark stubble. He pulled his daughter into his arms, burying his face in her soft hair.
"I'm so sorry, baby," Adrian whispered, his voice choking with grief. "Daddy was blind. But I'm coming for her now."
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Ten minutes later, the convoy roared up the winding, gravel driveway of Blackwood Manor.
👉 What gruesome scene awaits them inside the dark cellar of Blackwood Manor?
