Page 41 of The Rough Ride (Sanctuary, Inc. #3)

L iz glanced both ways when the elevator doors opened.

To her left was the door to the alley. But before setting one foot outside the building, she had to make sure Ella was in the lobby vestibule.

She turned right. The gun at her side, safety off, she ran almost noiselessly through the long, quiet hallway.

Pain radiated up her leg, but she ignored it.

Harsh automatic lights triggered as she moved.

It made sense. The hallway had the markings of a fire exit.

The building was so much larger than she’d expected.

She arrived at a door with a glass observation pane, forged ahead, and kept moving to a second fire door, which opened when she threw her body weight into it.

Another fifty feet brought her to the third door marked Lobby Entrance.

She shined the little flashlight she’d confiscated from Nick’s kitchen junk drawer on the signs covering the door.

Caution: Building alarm will sound when opened.

She took a step back. If she activated the building alarm, whoever had Ella might take off with her.

Liz scrutinized the lobby through the glass pane.

It was dark, except for a few shafts of illumination from a streetlight.

She couldn’t see squat, dammit. The gleaming marble floors reflected the minimal light like a pond in the dark.

Ella could be ten feet away, and Liz would never know from this angle.

She gave the door handle a tenuous tug. Locked. Shit. She swiped the hair off her face and stifled a frustrated sob.

There were only two alternatives. If Ella were in the lobby, she’d be chilly but reasonably safe for a short amount of time. But if she was still with the kidnapper, then she was probably in the car in the alley. It wasn’t worth the risk to activate the alarm system if her baby wasn’t safe.

She spun around and ran toward the alley. The second door stuck from this direction. She managed to open it just enough to squeeze through, but her prosthetic foot got caught at the bottom. Dammit. She heaved at the barrier and slipped into freedom.

Her innocent little girl . Caught up in something even her mother, the hotshot analyst, didn’t understand.

The flowers, the work personas, the car.

Was it all tied together somehow? Damp sweat chilled Liz as she approached the door to the alley.

Had this maniac taken her stroller at the zoo?

Oh dear lord, had this madwoman been close to her Ella that day?

She scanned the alley through the massive glass door in both directions.

There wasn’t even a streetlight out there.

But Ella was nearby. She could hear her crying outside.

Mommy’s coming, sweetheart. Liz cracked the door open, slid into the night, and placed the flashlight at the bottom to keep it from latching shut.

Once she got Ella, she’d get back in the building, take the elevator to the loft, and hunker down.

Flattening herself against the wall, Liz inched along the building to a large, dark sedan about twenty feet to her left.

Ella’s cries tore at her heart. Panic clawed at her brain.

Get the baby. Just get the baby. The sedan’s back door was open.

Ella had to be in the backseat. That bastard never put her in the vestibule.

Liz climbed halfway into the car, groping the seats, the floor, the ceiling. The crying sounded softer now, gentle baby sobs like when Ella felt alone or scared. Liz couldn’t find her in the back and reached over into the front, swishing her arms against the leather.

Liz’s feet dangled outside the car when someone tried to close the door against them.

Shit, that hurt. She flopped onto the backseat and pushed with all her arm and leg strength against the force trying to shut the door.

As long as her knee didn’t give out, the titanium prosthetic wouldn’t buckle under the pressure.

She dug deep and with a final, mighty shove, the door flung open.

Liz aimed the gun and fired at the dark shadow that had tried to trap her.

Whoever it was sprawled backward against the building.

Liz scrambled out of the car and grabbed a woman’s head, slamming it against the flagstone building. “Where’s my daughter, you piece of shit?”

But the woman rebounded with force and wrapped both hands around Liz’s neck, squeezing with a vice grip, choking the air from her lungs. Shooting stars crossed her vision as Liz tore the glasses from her attacker’s face, forcing her thumbs into their eyes.

A knee to the gut took Liz by surprise. She flew back against the car, gasping for a breath. Something hit her head with full impact, and she crumpled into the backseat.

The darkness enveloped her like a bad dream.