Locked.
"Shit!" He yanks harder, rattling the metal door in its frame.
"There has to be another way in," I say, my voice rising with panic. "A back entrance, a—"
"Call the police." Julian pulls out his phone. "Call them now."
But I can't tear my mind away from that haunting image flickering before me. From Claudia, trapped and utterly alone in that pitch-black basement, surrounded by concrete walls.
"Liza!" Julian hisses.
“Yes… sorry.”
He grabs my hand. “Let’s go back upstairs, and we’ll make the call.”
Then the three of us run.
Julian's voice fills the lobby, low and urgent. "Yes, 1247 Maple Street. The basement. She's in the basement, in the maintenance room—locked in."
I pace a tight circle on the marble floor, arms wrapped around myself, shaking. My legs feel disconnected from my body, like I'm operating on pure adrenaline and nothing else.
Six days.
The number pounds through my skull with each heartbeat.
Six days since the parking garage incident. Six days since Julian's fist connected with Daniel's skull. Six days since Daniel's head slammed against that concrete pillar.
Claudia's been alone down there for six days.
My stomach lurches again. Did Daniel leave her enough food? Enough water? What if she's hurt? What if she's—
No. I saw her move on the camera. She's alive.
"They're asking for the building manager," Julian says, hand pressed against his other ear to block out the ambient noise.
"Fuck the building manager!" The words burst out of me, sharp and loud. "Break the door down!"
Raine shifts his briefcase to his other hand. "She's right, man. We could—"
"I know." Julian's eyes meet mine, dark and tortured. "Just give me a second—"
"Are they coming or not?"
"Yes," Julian says, and then turns his back to me, speaking to the operator again.
"Raine," I yell. "Get out of here. I don't want you implicated. "
Raine immediately protests, stepping forward with his jaw set. "No way, Liza. I'm not leaving you here to deal with this alone." His voice carries that stubborn edge I've heard him use in arguments before, the one that says he's ready to dig his heels in and fight.
"Raine, please." I turn to face him fully, trying to make him understand. "You could be arrested. You could lose your whole career. Everything you've worked for." My voice cracks slightly. "I can't let that happen."
He opens his mouth to argue again, but something in my expression must register because he pauses. His shoulders sag just slightly, the fight draining out of him as reality sets in. Heknows I'm right—knows that being involved in breaking into someone's apartment, even for the right reasons, could destroy everything he's built.
"Fuck," he mutters under his breath, running a hand through his hair. But he's already bending down to gather his briefcase, his movements reluctant but resigned. "You call me the second they get her. I mean it, Liza."
"I will. I promise." Relief washes through me despite the chaos. He's been so kind, so willing to help me navigate this nightmare. The last thing I want—the absolute last thing—is to drag him down with us and ruin his future.
I can't stand here anymore, rooted to this spot like some useless fixture. My muscles are coiled tight, vibrating with the need todosomething—anything. Every second that ticks by while we wait feels like another second Claudia suffers down there in that dark room. The helplessness is suffocating, wrapping around my throat like invisible fingers. I hate this feeling—this powerless, standing-around-waiting feeling that makes my skin crawl and my heart pound against my ribs.
