Sapphire Angel - Superheroine

Chapter 38 -- Superheroine!

After rushing from the room and down the hall, Dominick darted into the opening to his left, entering another corridor. Thirty feet later this hall ended at a door. Dominick opened it and slipped through the doorway. After closing the door behind him, he leveled his gaze at the handle and latch.

Sapphire Angel would be coming, and he couldn't let her capture him. His suicide attempt with the empty gun had given him remarkable clarity. The fates had saved him because there was still hope for Ashley. Yes, that was it. He was meant to save his daughter. He just needed to escape this place, take his child somewhere safe, and come up with a new plan.

Dominick made a quick decision, fumbling in his belt and pulling out another handgun he had picked up off the floor when fleeing from Sapphire Angel. This one was loaded. He stepped back, aimed at the handle and latch, and fired. The shot sent an echo through the hall, hurting his ears, and leaving a mangled mess of the area around the door's strike plate. He fired twice more for good measure before reaching down to test the door. He smiled when the handle wouldn't turn. The door was jammed, and Sapphire Angel would need to rip it from its hinges to get to him. Which she might be able to do, he considered with a frown. At least this would slow her down.

He turned, racing down the hall toward the back of the building. The exit, and freedom, were just ahead. Even his men didn't know of the exit's existence, since it was hidden behind the door on the inside and a tangle of growth on the outside.

He fumbled through his keys after reaching the door. After finding the correct one, he inserted it into the lock and turned. When he pushed, though, the door only moved a few inches before stopping amid the sound of rattling chains. Wrinkling his brow, he pushed again, harder. Again the door barely moved, and again he heard rattling chains. With a soft curse, he glanced into the opening, and saw a thick chain wrapped around the exterior door handle, extending sideways. At this angle, Dominick couldn't see the full length of the chain, but he knew it was securing the door.

With dawning realization, his heart sank. Someone had trapped him inside the building. He knew who had done it, without having to think. The man with the silver eyes. The strange man certainly didn't plan to lock him in the building to be found by the authorities. The robed man was locking him in the building to kill him. Something bigger was coming.

Refusing to give up, Dominick pushed the door open as far as he could with one hand, and aimed the gun at the chain. He fired and looked away, wary of the bullet deflecting back toward him. When he returned his gaze back to the chain, he saw his shot had barely damaged it, taking out only a small fleck of metal. He knew it was futile, but Dominick fired the remaining shots from the weapon. His shoulders sank when the chain remained in place. He stepped back, charged, and slammed his considerable girth into the door, but still the chain didn't budge.

A slim smile born of sadness and appreciation crept across Dominick's face. The robed man had said there could be no trace of his involvement, and Dominick now fully appreciated those words. If nothing else, the robed man was efficient.

Dominick sighed and stepped away from the door. He looked down the hall and shook his head. With the lock destroyed, he was trapped. His only hope of salvation would be if Sapphire Angel found him before the silver-eyed man's retribution came to fruition.

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Before sprinting from the room, Sapphire Angel remembered Dominick's words, directing his men to take Ethan to the garage. With that thought in mind, she hurried down the hall, shivering in remembrance when she passed where she had first felt the draining of her powers.

As she approached the end of the hall, the door through which she had entered the building stood ahead of her. To her left and right were the two openings she had ignored during her entrance. She stepped into the opening to her left, seeing another hall ending in a closed door. After stepping across the hall to the other opening, she spied a short corridor ending with a stairway headed down. She rushed to the stairs and headed down, knowing there was at least one more guard waiting, and possibly more.