Part 7
The heavy afternoon traffic felt like a trap. Every red light was a countdown to disaster, and Laura’s eyes kept darting back to the rearview mirror. The dark SUV was still there, maintaining a steady distance, weaving through the lanes whenever she did. Vincent wasn't just waiting at the railyard; he was monitoring her every move.
She gripped the steering wheel so hard her fingers went numb. She needed to lose them, or at least buy enough time to get into the storage facility without them stopping her at the gate.
Laura knew the city streets well. As she approached the industrial district, the roads transitioned from smooth asphalt to cracked concrete, lined with old warehouses and rusted chain-link fences. She saw the rusted sign for Ironclad Storage ahead, but instead of turning in immediately, she slammed on her brakes and made a sharp, sudden right turn into an alleyway beside an old meatpacking plant.
The tires shrieked against the gravel. Laura drove desperately through the narrow alley, bursting out onto the parallel street just as the dark SUV sped past the alley entrance, expecting her to have kept going straight.
She had bought herself maybe two minutes.
She swung her car around, sped back toward Ironclad Storage, and pulled up to the heavy iron keypad gate. She didn't have an access code, but luck was on her side—a large commercial delivery truck was just exiting the facility. The heavy gate was slowly swinging open.
Laura didn't hesitate. She accelerated past the truck, ignoring the driver's angry honk, and slipped inside the facility compound just as the gate began to close behind her.
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The facility was a maze of identical, windowless blue metal garage doors. She parked her sedan behind a row of large storage units, completely hidden from the main entrance.
She grabbed her purse, held the silver key tightly in her hand, and checked the receipt. Building C, Unit 414. She ran down the concrete pathway, her heart pounding in her ears, looking for the letter C.
