Chapter 10 - The Courtyard Exit
The heavy oak service door clicked shut behind Eleanor and my daughter, swinging back on its brass hinges just enough to let in a draft of cold autumn air from the courtyard. I waited three seconds, counting the heavy beats of my pulse against my ribs, before nudging the wood open with the heel of my palm.
The private rear courtyard was paved with damp Belgian blocks that glistened under the gray afternoon sky. In the center, beside a stone fountain dry of water and choked with fallen leaves, sat the idling black sedan with tinted windows and its exhaust pipe puffing faint white plumes into the chill air. A driver in a dark suit stood beside the rear passenger door, holding an umbrella that wasn't strictly necessary yet, scanning the perimeter with the practiced, flat gaze of someone hired to look away from things he shouldn't see.
Eleanor walked steadily across the slick stones, her hand guiding my daughter whose pink floral dress fluttered in the gusting wind. The girl looked down, her small blonde bun bobbing slightly with each step, clutching a small leather-bound drawing pad against her chest.
"Get in, sweetheart," Eleanor said, her voice carrying clearly across the quiet yard. She opened the rear door of the sedan.
My daughter hesitated, looking back toward the main house as if waiting for someone to call her name. "Dad said he was coming back," she repeated, her voice small and lost against the rumble of the engine.
"Your father has other priorities," Eleanor murmured, urging her gently by the shoulder. "In you go. We have a long drive ahead."
As the door clicked shut on my daughter, Eleanor turned toward the front passenger side, her hand sliding into her pocket for her keys. That was the moment. The sedan's tires crunched slightly on the gravel fringe as the driver shifted into gear, preparing to roll toward the estate's rear perimeter gate. If I let them clear that gate, I would lose them in the maze of county roads, and the legal machinery Eleanor controlled would lock me out permanently.
I pushed off from the service door, my boots striking the paving stones with sharp, deliberate steps.
"Hey," I called out, my voice cutting through the hum of the engine.
Eleanor froze with her hand on the front door handle. The driver stiffened, his head snapping around, his hand instinctively dropping toward his hip where a security harness rested under his coat.
The driver stepped forward, blocking my path to the rear door. "Sir, you're not authorized to be in this sector. Step back immediately."
"Move," I said, keeping my eyes locked on the dark tinted glass of the rear window where I could see a pale hand pressed against the interior pane.
"Mr. Vance, this is entirely unnecessary," Eleanor said, turning slowly to face me, her expression hardening from cold efficiency to sharp annoyance. "You are only making this more difficult for the child. She needs stability, not your erratic scenes."
"Where are you taking my daughter?" I demanded, taking another step forward, closing the distance between the driver and myself until the air between us felt heavy with static.
May you like
The driver planted his feet, squaring his shoulders. "Step away from the vehicle, Mr. Vance. Last warning."
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