Chapter 5 - Into the Shadows
Deep within the basement utility corridors, Maria helped Maya stand up from the cold concrete floor.
“We cannot stay inside this house another minute, Maya,” Maria whispered, checking the hallway through a cracked service door.
“The security team will sweep the lower levels as soon as the police finish their initial walk-through upstairs.”
Maya nodded resolutely, smoothing down her torn burnt-orange dress and locking her eyes with unwavering determination.
They slipped out through the staff delivery exit, ducking beneath the heavy canopy of towering palm trees lining the back gardens.
The American flag waving proudly atop the grand villa balcony caught the harsh glare of flashing police cruiser lights behind them.
May you like
They hurried past the iron security gates into the quiet, upscale residential street just as Detective Vance's cruiser pulled up.
Clutching each other in the cover of the midnight shadows, they vanished into the sprawling labyrinth of Los Angeles.
