Chapter 12 - The Midnight Drive

The vintage sedan in the staff garage wasn't locked. Elena kept her brother’s old Ford Falcon parked behind the utility shed, a reliable, unremarked-upon machine that wouldn't trigger the automated license plate readers tied to Lorenzo’s security network at the main gates.

We slipped out through the western utility exit while the estate sleepwalked under the warm glare of security floodlights. The engine turned over with a rough, sputtering cough that sounded like thunder in the quiet night air, but it caught. I slid behind the wheel, my white gown pooled around my knees like fallen snow, and shifted the stiff manual gear into reverse.

We rolled down the unpaved service track, cutting our headlights until we passed the cattle guard and hit the county highway.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked, clutching the dashboard as the tires hummed against the asphalt. "If Mr. Lorenzo finds out I helped you leave..."

"He won't catch us tonight," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the ribbon of gray road illuminated by the high beams. "We are going to Julian’s office downtown. He’s the only corporate litigator on the board who hasn't taken a payout from the Cayman accounts. His name was on the transfer logs as a dissenting vote."

The city skyline appeared over the dark horizon like a jagged row of broken teeth, glowing orange and amber against the heavy cloud cover. The streets were empty at two in the morning, save for the occasional delivery truck or police cruiser idling outside a diner.

My phone buzzed against the center console. The caller ID flashed *Lorenzo*.

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I let it ring, the harsh electronic chime vibrating through the empty car like an alarm clock. It rang four times, five times, before cutting out to voicemail. A second later, a text preview popped up on the screen: *Where are you? Come back to the house now. We need to talk before the board meets.*

I didn't reply. I hit delete, tossed the phone into the glove compartment, and pressed my foot harder down on the accelerator. We were running out of time, but for the first time since Lorenzo had walked through those double doors and found me standing over Elena with the ice pitcher, I had the upper hand.