The concrete floor was cold through my thin shoes.

Above us, the faint sound of suppressed gunfire echoed from the main living area.

My stomach twisted as I thought of the guards downstairs who hadn’t known their schedules were compromised.

We reached the heavy metal door of the stairwell.

I held the door handle, waiting.

“According to the sheet, the patrol on the fourteenth floor rotates every five minutes,” I whispered. “We have ninety seconds before they look up this shaft.”

Dante opened the door slowly.

The stairwell was a vertical tunnel of gray concrete, lit only by dim green exit signs.

We began our descent, moving as quickly and quietly as possible.

My knees felt weak, but I kept my eyes on the steps.

I had to survive.

Lily was waiting for me.

She was safe at the suburban safehouse with Mrs. Patel, miles away from this nightmare.

I had to get back to her.

We reached the tenth floor when a door slammed open two levels below us.

“Check the stairs,” a voice shouted from below.