Chapter 6 - THE ROOFTOP ESCAPE
The ventilation shaft was hot and filled with a thin layer of smoke, but Sarah pressed forward, inching her way through the metal tunnel on her hands and knees. She kept one hand cupped over Leo's face to protect him from dust and heat.
Below her, she could hear the crackle of burning wood and the muffled shouts of the men searching the estate.
After what felt like an eternity, Sarah reached the exterior vent grill on the second-floor balcony. She kicked the grate open with her boots and tumbled out onto the cool stone terrace, gasping for fresh air.
The sight before her was terrifying. The entire lower west wing of the estate was engulfed in roaring flames, sending clouds of black smoke into the starry night sky.
In the driveway below, Victoria’s sleek sports car was parked alongside a black getaway van. Victoria herself was standing near the vehicle, wrapped in a dark coat, watching the flames with a cold, triumphant smile on her face.
"Make sure nothing survives!" Victoria yelled to one of her men standing on the front steps.
Sarah flattened herself against the stone railing of the balcony. She needed to get down to the ground and reach the long driveway before the fire consumed the entire structure.
She spotted the sturdy decorative ivy trellis climbing up the side of the balcony. Securing Leo tightly against her chest, Sarah swung her legs over the balcony wall and began her dangerous descent down the burning building.
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Her hands burned against the hot stone, and her muscles strained with exhaustion, but she refused to let go. Step by step, inch by inch, she climbed down until her feet touched the soft grass of the garden below.
She took a deep breath and made a run for the tree line surrounding the estate—just as Victoria turned her head toward the garden.
