Chapter 7 7

The taxi dropped them off in front of a motel in Queens that looked like it was held together by grime and bad intentions. The neon sign buzzed ominously, the "NO" in "NO VACANCY" flickering on and off.

"Are you sure about this place, lady?" the driver asked, eyeing a group of rough-looking men on the corner.

"It's fine," Annelise said, handing him another bill. "Thank you."

It wasn't fine. It was a rat hole. But it was cash-only, and it didn't require ID scanning.

They hurried into the lobby, which smelled of stale smoke and bleach. Annelise paid for a room on the second floor, using the name "Mary Smith."

The room was small, with two sagging double beds and peeling floral wallpaper.

"Check the room," Annelise said automatically. It was a game they played, but today it wasn't a game.

Algernon went to the TV. He pulled it away from the wall and disconnected the coaxial cable. "No smart devices," he muttered. He checked the phone, unscrewing the mouthpiece to check for bugs. "Clear."

Blace dragged a heavy armchair and wedged it under the door handle. He took a glass cup from the bathroom and balanced it on the doorknob. If anyone turned it, the glass would fall and break.

"Perimeter secure," Blace announced.

Clemie took out a small spray bottle of lavender sanitizer she made herself and started spraying the pillows. "Germs," she whispered. "So many germs."

Annelise sat on the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. She felt like she was vibrating.

"Mom?" Algernon stood in front of her. "Who was he? Logically, based on his reaction and facial structure similarity, probability suggests he is a biological relative."

Annelise looked up. She couldn't lie to them. Not entirely.

"He is... a man who works for my ex-husband," Annelise said haltingly. "They are both bad men. Very dangerous men."

"Is he our father?" Blace asked, his voice hard.

Annelise flinched. "No. Your father... he doesn't know you exist. And we need to keep it that way. If Archibald Sanders finds out about you, he will take you away from me."

That was the truth. If the cold, crippled recluse she was married to knew they were his, he would use his billions to crush her in court. He would take them and raise them to be cold, heartless monsters like his family.

"He won't take us," Blace vowed, punching his palm.

"We need a plan," Algernon said. He sat cross-legged on the floor with his tablet. "I am accessing the local Wi-Fi. I'm routing through three proxies to mask our location."

Annelise watched him work. "Be careful, Algy."

"Wait," Algernon said, his brow furrowing. "This is interesting."

"What?"

"I'm scanning local security chatter. There's a high-priority alert out for a woman and three children. It's not an official police bulletin. It's on a private network... the Sanders Group's network."

Annelise felt a chill. "He's using his own army to hunt us."

"There's more," Algernon said, his voice dropping. "There's a separate, encrypted query on a much older network. It's asking for information on 'children with exceptional abilities.' The encryption signature is archaic... It doesn't match the primary Sanders network."

The name Hilliard, Archibald's powerful and shadowy grandfather, flashed in Annelise's mind. A deeper, older fear coiled in her gut.

"Turn it off," Annelise said. "Turn it all off. We can't be online."

Night fell. The sounds of sirens wailed outside the thin window.

The kids fell asleep in one bed, tangled together like puppies. Annelise sat in the chair by the window, watching the street through a crack in the curtains.

She held her phone. She debated calling the one number she had. The man who had helped them in Europe. But she couldn't drag him into this.

High above the city, in the penthouse of Sanders Tower, Archibald was staring at a screen too.

"We found the taxi," Casimiro said. "Dropped off in Queens. The Starlight Motel."

Archibald stood up. "Get the team. We go now."

"Sir, it's 2 AM."

"I don't care." Archibald buttoned his black coat. "I want answers."

Back at the motel, Annelise's eyes were heavy. She was drifting off.

Then she heard it.

Clink.

The glass fell off the doorknob and shattered on the floor.

Annelise bolted upright.

The door didn't open. It was just a test. Someone trying the handle.

"Mom?" Blace woke up instantly, sliding off the bed into a crouch.

"Shh," Annelise hissed.

Then the window exploded.