The air was cold and burned my throat as I gasped for breath.

I turned a corner into a room filled with old wooden filing cabinets.

I kicked a heavy metal chair behind me, sending it crashing into the doorway.

I heard Marcus curse as he tripped over it in the dark.

I squeezed myself between two tall wooden cabinets at the back of the room.

I switched off the flashlight, plunging myself back into the dark.

I held my breath, my chest aching.

In the distance, the low hum of the backup generator finally started.

The emergency lights in the hallway flickered, casting a dim, red glow through the dirty glass window of the storage room.

I could hear Marcus’s heavy breathing just outside the door.

“Maeve,” he called out, his voice smooth again, trying to sound calm.

“You can’t get out of here.”

“The courtyard is locked down.”

“My men control the gates.”

I didn’t answer.

I slid my hand into my coat pocket and felt the small brass key Victor had given me earlier.

It was the key to the private study’s service elevator.