Unshakeable Pursuit (Christian Romantic Suspense)

Chapter 5a

Geoffrey froze. His heart pulsed once, loudly, in his ear.

Then he grabbed Maylin's hand and ran back down the hallway.

He was trying to remember the layout of the hospital from the brief glimpse of the directory on the first floor. He knew each floor had the same general floor plan. Where had the stairs been? He cut right, dodging a nurse who was wheeling a patient in a chair. Maylin gave a small yelp and dodged them, as well.

"No running!" the nurse yelled after them, but then he heard her gasp, probably as the two Asian men shot past her. Geoffrey didn't want to turn around to look.

"Here." He pulled Maylin down a hallway to the left, hoping he wasn't leading them to a dead end. No, there was the door to the stairs.

He yanked open the door and let go of her hand as they pounded down the stairs, their steps echoing against the concrete walls. He jumped the last couple steps to the landing, then spun around down the next flight. He heard Maylin's feet land hard and thought she might have jumped the last few stairs, also.

They were on the first floor landing when they heard harder footsteps above them. The men had entered the stairwell.

He dug in his pockets for his car keys as he opened the door and cut right down the hallway. There was a back door they could use to skirt around the building and back toward the parking lot.

The first floor was busier than the third floor had been, and they slowed to avoid hitting patients, nurses, and doctors in the hallways. They had several people yell at them, but he ignored them and kept going. He hoped the crowded hallway would enable them to hide from the men, so they wouldn't know which hallway they ducked into.

He turned left and then left again, swinging around an empty gurney and then out a small, unmarked door to the right. Warm air rushed at him after the air conditioning of the hospital, but he didn't break stride as he raced for the Mustang. He knew he was outdistancing Maylin, but he would use the extra time to start the car.

He jammed the key into the lock to unlock it, then threw himself into the driver's seat. He'd cranked the engine and put it in gear just as Maylin opened the passenger door and dropped into her seat.

Geoffrey reversed out of the parking stall, and as he looked behind him, he saw the two men running out of the front doors of the hospital. He put the car in gear and headed out of the parking lot as fast as he could.

There was too much traffic on the road. He couldn't speed away from the hospital because of the mass of cars at the stop lights. He used the slower pace to strap in his seatbelt, and Maylin did the same. Within a couple blocks, he spotted the Asian men in a silver Civic several cars behind them.

"They're behind us," he said. "Can you see their license plate?"

Maylin twisted around, then unbuckled her seatbelt and stuck her head out of the car window. She finally sat back down, strapping herself in again. "Can't see."

"How did they find us?" But even as the question burst out of him, he knew. They must have followed his mother, who had led them right to him.

It was as if Maylin read his thoughts. "The fact they're here might mean there's no one following your mom anymore. She might be safe again."

"The problem is that now we need to get safe. We need to lose them."

"Where's the Napa police station?" Maylin said. "They wouldn't follow us if we went there, would they?"

"Let's hope not." Geoffrey used the traffic to his advantage, now. He cut in front of cars and wove through them, finally turning left to head to the police station.