Serial Story: Jasmine Betrayal, Part 16
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format every Friday right here on the blog for free. When the story is
done, it will be edited, polished and available for sale at all your
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 |
Jasmine Betrayal
Part 16
The air shaft was dirty and small, and Genevieve gritted her teeth as she crawled toward the far end of the building, tiny unknown particles grinding into the palms of her hands. She tried to keep her feet from bouncing off the metal, which only put more pressure on her knees. If anyone was below her as she went by, surely they’d see the sheeting flexing under her weight, but the only thing she could do was keep going. The only light came up through the grates into each office as she passed by, and she found herself anxious after each one for the next.
There were options to turn, but as long as the shaft kept going straight, she followed, presuming it would end somewhere near the wall where the file boxes were stacked up. When she finally hit a place where the only option was to follow a curve, she back-tracked to the last office grate she’d passed and peered down into the room.
It looked empty, but she still hesitated before prying up the grate and looking around more thoroughly. Much like the office they had locked her in with Max, there was a desk and a few chairs, but the desk had been pushed against the far wall, leaving the floor below the grate empty.
She wasn’t sure how to get down, short of falling, and that seemed like a really bad idea given how high she was. It was probably ten feet to the floor, and with her lack of coordination, she’d be lucky to only break an ankle when she landed.
A shout rang out from the other end of the warehouse, and she knew she had about ten seconds before they realized how she’d gotten out of the room, regardless of Max’s skills. She didn’t have a choice. She’d have to drop.
Taking a deep breath and nearly choking on the dust, she stayed on her belly and turned to let her feet down through the opening first. Lowering her body through, she held on until her hands were supporting her weight. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that at five feet tall, the remaining drop was only five more feet, and if she let herself go slack when she hit the floor, she had a chance. Her fingers were slipping anyway, and she let go with one hand, and then a moment later, the other slid off the edge.
She rolled on the ground, taking quick stock of her joints and limbs once she caught her breath. To her relief, everything seemed to be in working order, if a little jarred, and she got to her feet and ran to the door, opening it a crack to peek out.
The noise from the other end of the building was dying down but she didn’t see anyone coming just yet. Slipping out and closing the door behind her, she ran for the boxes and hid behind them, reciting the number from the deed over and over in her head as she checked the label on each box. The chance the number itself would be listed was slim, but she knew she’d seen a box marked Ownership, and that seemed like the best choice to check.
Finding it was bittersweet - rather than being on top, it was on the bottom of a stack of five other boxes, and voices were echoing through the large chamber as they began searching for her. Office doors slammed open, getting closer by the second as she frantically ripped at the hand-hole of the box, tearing the cardboard away as carefully as possible to expose the file folders inside.
There. In her mind, she could see the emerald green color of the file with the number on the label, and there was only one green file in the box. Sliding it out, she wheeled around and ran for the door, thankful when the knob offered no resistance.
“She went out the door!”
The shout rang out behind her, and she didn’t dare look back. Running as fast as she could, Genevieve sprinted across the open lot, looking for somewhere, anywhere to either hide or escape. An army-green jeep sat in front of a neighboring building, and she ducked behind the driver’s side for cover while she contemplated her next move.
That’s when she saw the keys in the ignition.
Tossing the file onto the seat, she jumped in and brought the engine to life as shots rang out, and metal pinged against the vehicle in several places. Throwing the stick into gear, she silently thanked her father for forcing her to learn to drive a manual, and peeled out of the parking lot, wincing at each shot until she was out of range.
They’d come after her, of course. She needed to ditch the jeep as soon as possible, and find alternate transportation to the address Max had given her.
As much as she wanted to get away from those men, she couldn’t help wanting to go back and help Max. If she could just create some kind of diversion, she might be able to break him out, and they could finish solving the puzzle together.
He’d be safe.
She couldn’t, though. He’d put his life on the line to free her, literally, and if she couldn’t help him, she’d be caught again and they’d both undoubtedly be killed. She wouldn’t do that to him. If there was even a chance that he was right, that they’d keep him alive to get to her, she had to trust him, and let him work.
Driving away was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
Enjoy
this post? Support your author:
format every Friday right here on the blog for free. When the story is
done, it will be edited, polished and available for sale at all your
favorite online retailers.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 |
Jasmine Betrayal
Part 16
The air shaft was dirty and small, and Genevieve gritted her teeth as she crawled toward the far end of the building, tiny unknown particles grinding into the palms of her hands. She tried to keep her feet from bouncing off the metal, which only put more pressure on her knees. If anyone was below her as she went by, surely they’d see the sheeting flexing under her weight, but the only thing she could do was keep going. The only light came up through the grates into each office as she passed by, and she found herself anxious after each one for the next.
There were options to turn, but as long as the shaft kept going straight, she followed, presuming it would end somewhere near the wall where the file boxes were stacked up. When she finally hit a place where the only option was to follow a curve, she back-tracked to the last office grate she’d passed and peered down into the room.
It looked empty, but she still hesitated before prying up the grate and looking around more thoroughly. Much like the office they had locked her in with Max, there was a desk and a few chairs, but the desk had been pushed against the far wall, leaving the floor below the grate empty.
She wasn’t sure how to get down, short of falling, and that seemed like a really bad idea given how high she was. It was probably ten feet to the floor, and with her lack of coordination, she’d be lucky to only break an ankle when she landed.
A shout rang out from the other end of the warehouse, and she knew she had about ten seconds before they realized how she’d gotten out of the room, regardless of Max’s skills. She didn’t have a choice. She’d have to drop.
Taking a deep breath and nearly choking on the dust, she stayed on her belly and turned to let her feet down through the opening first. Lowering her body through, she held on until her hands were supporting her weight. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that at five feet tall, the remaining drop was only five more feet, and if she let herself go slack when she hit the floor, she had a chance. Her fingers were slipping anyway, and she let go with one hand, and then a moment later, the other slid off the edge.
She rolled on the ground, taking quick stock of her joints and limbs once she caught her breath. To her relief, everything seemed to be in working order, if a little jarred, and she got to her feet and ran to the door, opening it a crack to peek out.
The noise from the other end of the building was dying down but she didn’t see anyone coming just yet. Slipping out and closing the door behind her, she ran for the boxes and hid behind them, reciting the number from the deed over and over in her head as she checked the label on each box. The chance the number itself would be listed was slim, but she knew she’d seen a box marked Ownership, and that seemed like the best choice to check.
Finding it was bittersweet - rather than being on top, it was on the bottom of a stack of five other boxes, and voices were echoing through the large chamber as they began searching for her. Office doors slammed open, getting closer by the second as she frantically ripped at the hand-hole of the box, tearing the cardboard away as carefully as possible to expose the file folders inside.
There. In her mind, she could see the emerald green color of the file with the number on the label, and there was only one green file in the box. Sliding it out, she wheeled around and ran for the door, thankful when the knob offered no resistance.
“She went out the door!”
The shout rang out behind her, and she didn’t dare look back. Running as fast as she could, Genevieve sprinted across the open lot, looking for somewhere, anywhere to either hide or escape. An army-green jeep sat in front of a neighboring building, and she ducked behind the driver’s side for cover while she contemplated her next move.
That’s when she saw the keys in the ignition.
Tossing the file onto the seat, she jumped in and brought the engine to life as shots rang out, and metal pinged against the vehicle in several places. Throwing the stick into gear, she silently thanked her father for forcing her to learn to drive a manual, and peeled out of the parking lot, wincing at each shot until she was out of range.
They’d come after her, of course. She needed to ditch the jeep as soon as possible, and find alternate transportation to the address Max had given her.
As much as she wanted to get away from those men, she couldn’t help wanting to go back and help Max. If she could just create some kind of diversion, she might be able to break him out, and they could finish solving the puzzle together.
He’d be safe.
She couldn’t, though. He’d put his life on the line to free her, literally, and if she couldn’t help him, she’d be caught again and they’d both undoubtedly be killed. She wouldn’t do that to him. If there was even a chance that he was right, that they’d keep him alive to get to her, she had to trust him, and let him work.
Driving away was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
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