Chapter 8 - The Rusted Key
They spent the afternoon preparing, using the cash to buy burner phones, cheap dark clothing, and a laptop from a local pawn shop.
Evelyn explained the layout of Union Station, a massive, semi-abandoned transit hub on the edge of the city.
"Arthur will have men at every exit by 11:00 PM," she said, sketching a rough map on motel stationery.
"But the station is still active for freight," Mark noted. "There's a shift change for the cargo loaders at 10:30."
"Exactly," Evelyn nodded. "We go in early, blend in with the workers, and get to the locker before Arthur’s perimeter is set."
"What about Lily?" Mark asked, looking at their daughter coloring on the floor.
"We leave her with someone we trust," Evelyn said.
Mark shook his head. "I don't trust anyone anymore. Not after Vanessa."
"You trust Sarah," Evelyn reminded him softly. "Your sister."
Mark hesitated, but he knew Evelyn was right; Sarah lived just thirty minutes away and was entirely disconnected from the Vance family’s circles.
By nightfall, they had secretly dropped Lily off at Sarah's apartment, explaining only that they were in danger and needed her to lock the doors.
Leaving his daughter behind was the hardest thing Mark had ever done, but the resolve in his chest was absolute.
They parked the stolen truck a mile from Union Station and walked the rest of the way under the cover of darkness.
The cold wind whipped off the nearby river, chilling them to the bone as the towering silhouette of the station loomed ahead.
"Ready?" Mark whispered, gripping the rusted key in his palm.
May you like
"Let's get our lives back," Evelyn replied.
They slipped through a rusted chain-link fence, disappearing into the shadows of the freight yard.
