Chapter 2
"Thank you, Lily," the weak voice trembled from the darkness.
Lily pushed the four sandwiches through the narrow opening, carefully maneuvering them so they wouldn't fall off the ceramic plate. A tiny, pale hand reached out from the pitch-black cavity to accept the food. The hand belonged to a six-year-old girl named Ava. She was painfully thin and frightened, wearing an oversized, dusty gray sweatshirt and loose pajama trousers. She was entirely barefoot. Under her left arm, she tightly gripped an old, tattered stuffed rabbit. Her skin was fair and rosy, though currently smudged with dust from the tight, hidden space.
"Are you cold in there?" Lily asked softly, peering into the shadows.
"A little bit," Ava whispered back, her American accent quiet and strained. "But I have my rabbit to keep me warm."
"Eat fast," Lily urged. "Before the scary lady comes."
The bright, pristine lighting of the west hallway suddenly felt menacing as the sharp, aggressive clicking of high heels echoed against the marble tiles. Mara Carter turned the corner, her presence instantly dominating the space. At thirty-five, Mara was Ryan’s wife and a senior member of the Mafia family. She wore an elegant, flowing silk robe, her fair, rosy skin adorned with expensive jewelry, a heavy diamond wedding ring, and towering heels.
"What exactly are you doing down here?" Mara snapped, her voice cutting through the corridor like a serrated blade.
Lily gasped, her small shoulders jumping in terror. She frantically tried to push the loosened wall panel closed, but her tiny hands fumbled against the heavy wood in her panic.
"Nothing!" Lily squeaked, her voice pitching high. "I was just looking for my toy!"
Mara’s cold eyes narrowed. She marched forward, her heels clicking like a metronome counting down to violence. She looked past the freestanding coat-and-linen rack and saw the ceramic plate resting on the floor, and the unmistakable, dark gap in the wainscoting.
"You lying little brat," Mara hissed.
Mara violently grabbed Lily by the shoulder, her manicured fingers digging ruthlessly into the soft fabric of the child's pajamas.
"Ow! You're hurting me!" Lily cried, tears instantly welling in her bright eyes as she tried to pull away.
Mara did not care. She yanked the three-year-old backward with brutal force and snatched the ceramic plate from the floor. With a furious, fluid motion, Mara threw the plate across the hallway. It shattered violently against the opposite wall, sending sharp ceramic shards raining down across the polished floorboards.
"Stop it!" Lily sobbed, stumbling backward against the utility shelving.
Ignoring the crying child, Mara stepped forward and shoved her arm deep into the narrow service cavity. Her hand grasped the oversized gray sweatshirt of the terrified girl inside.
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"No! Please let me go!" Ava screamed weakly from the darkness, her bare feet scrambling against the insulation as she desperately tried to pull away.
Mara shoved her forcefully, trying to force the six-year-old farther back into the claustrophobic darkness. "I told both of you this wall stays closed," Mara hissed in a furious whisper, her face contorted with rage.
