Raina hit the bottom stair as the club’s alarm began to wail.
Behind her, Marco’s men thundered down the steps. She shoved through the STAFF ONLY door and burst into the kitchen.
“Stop her!” someone shouted.
A cook dropped a tray. Plates shattered. Raina ducked beneath an outstretched arm, slammed her shoulder into the service exit, and spilled into the alley.
Rain slicked the pavement. She ran toward the street, one hand pressed against her aching wrist. The knife was still in her fist.
A guard came through the door behind her. She heard his boots slap the ground.
Raina cut left around a stack of crates. At the alley’s end, a black car blocked the exit. Its driver was climbing out.
She changed direction, vaulted a low wall, and landed hard in a narrow passage behind the club. Pain
