"You read the file," Silas said, stepping closer, his massive frame dominating the narrow hallway. "You know what he did to Maya. You know what he took from her."
"I read it," I gasped, the reality of the situation crashing down on me. "He has Lily. The secretary said he brought her here."
"I've been tracking Vance for months," Silas whispered, looking down the dark stairwell. "I finally got access to the sealed police files through a private investigator last week. When I saw the missing half of the pendant was the right side... I knew it was a trophy. I saw him watching your little girl in the courtyard yesterday. He looked at her the exact same way he used to look at Maya. The same hunger."
My stomach violently revolted. I had handed my daughter directly to the monster. I had thanked him for keeping her safe.
"Why didn't you go to the police?" I demanded, panic rising in my throat.
"Because he's Arthur Vance," Silas spat, venom lacing his words. "He owns this town. The cops play golf with him. Without physical proof, they would have warned him, and he would have destroyed the evidence. I needed to catch him with his mask off."
A sudden, sharp sound cut through the heavy silence of the building.
It was the heavy, metallic scrape of a deadbolt sliding into place.
It came from directly beneath our feet. The basement.
Silas and I didn't exchange another word. The shared terror bonded us instantly. We rushed down the concrete stairwell, our footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust.
The basement was a labyrinth of industrial boilers and towering stacks of wooden pallets. The only light came from a few flickering, caged bulbs in the ceiling.
We moved silently, navigating the maze, until we reached the far corner of the basement. There, hidden behind a row of discarded filing cabinets, was a heavy steel utility door.
We pressed ourselves against the damp concrete wall beside the door. I strained my ears, listening intently.
For a terrifying moment, there was nothing.
Then, muffled through the thick steel, I heard a sound that completely broke me.
"I don't like it in here, Mr. Vance," Lily's small, trembling voice cried out. "It's too dark. I want my daddy."
"Your father isn't coming, Lily," Vance's voice responded. It wasn't the smooth, grandfatherly tone from the office. It was cold, flat, and chillingly empty. "I told you, special girls need special attention. Your father doesn't appreciate how special you are. But I do. I collect beautiful things, Lily. Before they get ruined."
A wave of pure, unfiltered rage exploded in my brain. Every rational thought, every instinct for self-preservation, completely vanished.
"Daddy!" Lily screamed, a sound of pure terror.
I didn't think. I stepped in front of the door, raised my leg, and drove the bottom of my shoe directly into the locking mechanism with every ounce of strength I possessed.
The heavy steel door shuddered under the impact of my kick but held firm.
"Help me!" I roared to Silas.
The massive biker didn't hesitate. He stepped back, threw his massive shoulder forward, and slammed into the steel door like a battering ram. The metal groaned. We both stepped back, counted to three, and threw our combined weight against the door.