f my slacks, pulling on jeans, a hooded sweatshirt, and
a pair of sneakers and put the gun in the waistband of my jeans, at my back.
From the closet I fish out a large soft duffle bag. Will five million dollars fit into
this? Christian’s gym bag is lying there on the floor. I open it, expecting to
find it full of dirty laundry, but no—
his gym kit is clean and fresh. Mrs. Jones does indeed get everywhere. I
dump the contents onto the floor and stuff his gym bag into my duffle. There,
that should do it. I check that I ha一ve my driver’s license as identification for
the bank and check the time. It’s been thirty-one minutes since Jack called.
Now I just ha一ve to get out of Escala without Sawyer seeing me.
I make my way slowly and quietly to the foyer, aware of the CCTV
camera which is trained on the elevator. I think Sawyer’s still in Taylor’s
office. Cautiously, I open the foyer door, making as little noise as possible.
Shutting it quietly behind me, I stand on the very threshold, up against the
door, out of the view of the CCTV lens. I fish my cell phone out of my purse
and call Sawyer.
“Mrs. Grey.”
“Sawyer, I’m in the room upstairs, will you give me a hand with something?” I
keep my voice low, knowing he’s just down the hallway on the other side of
this door.
“I’ll be right with you, ma’am,” he says, and I hear his confusion. I’ve never
telephoned him for help before. My heart is in my throat, pounding in a
jarring, frenetic rhythm. Will this work? I hang up and listen as his footsteps
cross the hallway and go up the stairs. I take another deep steadying breath
and briefly contemplate the irony of escaping from my own home like a felon.
416 | P a g e
E L JAMES
Once Sawyer’s reached the upstairs landing, I race to the elevator and punch
the call button. The doors slide open with the too-loud ping that announces
the elevator is ready. I dash inside and frantically stab the button for the
basement garage. After an agonizing pause, the doors slowly start to slide
shut,
本章未完，点击下一页继续阅读。