Chapter 7 - THE GARDEN CHASE
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the parlor.
Lara threw her entire weight against the antique glass pane of the French doors.
Shards rained down across the stone patio like glistening diamonds.
"Stop her!" Viviana screamed, leaping to her feet.
The two security guards reacted instantly, sprinting across the polished hardwood floor.
Lara scrambled through the jagged opening, scraping her arms against the frame.
Adrenaline flooded her veins, dulling the sharp sting of the cuts.
She hit the manicured lawns of the Hollis estate running at full sprint.
Behind her, heavy footsteps thudded against the stone patio.
"Hey! Stop right there!" the lead guard bellowed.
Lara didn't look back. She veered toward the dense labyrinth of hedges near the eastern wall.
The Hollis gardens were vast, filled with twisting mazes and towering oak trees.
It was the one place she had explored extensively during her cleaning shifts.
She dove headfirst into the narrow, shadowed archway of the hedge maze.
The green walls closed in around her like a living cage.
Footsteps echoed from multiple directions. They were cutting her off.
Lara ducked behind a thick cedar bush, holding her breath and pressing her hand over her mouth.
Her chest heaved violently, the sound sounding deafeningly loud in the quiet morning air.
"Check the fountain path!" a guard's voice barked nearby.
"She couldn't have gotten far in those shoes!"
Lara looked down at her sensible flats. They were scuffed and muddy.
She slipped them off quietly, holding them in one hand to eliminate her footsteps.
Through the dense leaves, she saw a flash of black uniform pants passing just feet away.
Her phone buzzed violently in her apron pocket.
She nearly dropped it, muffling the vibration against her thigh.
She pulled it out. A text message flashed on the screen from an unknown number.
*Don't go toward the gates. Meet me at the old boathouse.*
Lara stared at the screen. Who sent this?
Was it a trap set by Viviana, or a lifeline from Grace?
She didn't have time to weigh her options.
A security guard rounded the corner of the hedge wall just ten feet ahead of her.
"Found her!" the guard shouted, lunging forward.
Lara whipped around and sprinted deeper into the maze, taking a sharp left toward the lake trail.
Branches whipped across her face, leaving thin red welts on her cheeks.
The smell of damp earth and stagnant lake water filled the cool air.
Through the thinning trees, the weathered wooden structure of the old boathouse came into view.
The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of dark shadow inviting her inside.
May you like
Lara pushed past the rotting wooden panels and slipped into the gloom.
She slammed the heavy door shut, sliding the rusted iron bolt into place just as heavy fists pounded against the outside.
