Page 153 of Blake

Locked.

“No!” She shoved it again.

Still . . . nothing.

Footsteps thundered overhead. Another door stood a few feet away, marked with a faded sign.

Maintenance.

She grabbed the handle. It turned. She nearly cried with relief as she stumbled through it.

Devon slammed the door behind her. Shelves lined the walls of the surprisingly large space, crowded with old supplies and boxes. A utility sink occupied one corner.

Beyond it was an exterior door. Her breath caught, and she hurried toward it. She pressed the push bar, but nothing happened.

A security latch had been fastened across the door.

“Dammit!”

A voice sounded outside the maintenance room. Devon spun around, searching for something she could use to get her bound hands free. Her gaze landed on a pair of heavy-duty pruning shears hanging from a hook.

She grabbed them.

With her wrists still tied, manipulating the tool was awkward, but she managed to position the blades around the plastic restraint. She squeezed. The first attempt failed.

Footsteps approached.

Devon tried again, and the plastic snapped.

She dropped the shears and hurried toward the exterior door. Her newly freed fingers fumbled with the latch.

It lifted.

She shoved the bar. Cool evening air struck her face.

I made it!

She was actually outside.

Her respite was cut short when someone shouted behind her.

“There she is!”

Devon ran. The gravel beneath her bare feet was merciless. They’d taken her shoes to deter her from trying to run, and every sharp stone seemed determined to slice through her skin.

But she didn’t slow down.

The maintenance exit had opened onto a narrow service area behind the building. A large dumpster stood beside a loading dock, and beyond it, a strip of grass separated the property from a line of trees.

Devon headed straight for them.

“Stop!”

A gunshot cracked through the evening air. Devon screamed and reflexively ducked. The bullet struck something metallic behind her.

She stumbled but caught herself at the last second.

Keep moving.