Prologue
Sophie runs as fast as her feet will carry her; she feels the wind whipping through her hair and her heart pounding in her chest. She dips down low behind the cover of tree branches and shrubbery. She takes slow, shallow breaths as she crouches low to the earth, with the smell of grass and dirt thick in the air. Her ears perk slightly as she hears twigs snapping under the pressure of someone’s foot nearby. Sophie shudders as she sees the feet coming into view, knowing she could not run any further if she wanted to get away; her only chance was to stay put and hidden, while hoping they did not see her crawl into her hiding spot.
“Do you see her?” The tall, ragged, red-haired man asks as he looks around, setting his foot down just inches away from where Sophie lay curled up on the forest floor; her only saving grace was the darkness of night and all the branches and leaves that provided her cover.
“No, I think she must have run up there and disappeared into that cavern. Let’s get going before she gets too far ahead; if we lose her again, the boss will have our asses.” The second one with dark hair answered back.
Sophie watches and listens until both their forms and footsteps disappear before she rolls out of her hiding spot and runs back off in the direction she remembered seeing some cars parked, intending to hotwire one to make a run with. She shakes her head as she quietly approaches the vehicles, quickly making her way up next to a black Jeep Wrangler. Without a sound, she quickly pops the lock on the door and hops inside the vehicle before reaching up under the dash by the steering column to hotwire it.
She does a quick once-over of the area before she takes off out of the parking garage, shaking her head. “Dad, you should have known that those two nitwits could not keep me here. It will take more than that to keep me locked up.” She mutters to herself as she heads off down the road, looking for her next escape.
