Chapter 3 - The Secret Corridor
The glass shattered inward with a sharp crash.
A wave of fresh, cool air rushed from the hidden dark tunnel beyond the bookcase. Without hesitation, Lorenzo scooped me and the baby into his arms, pushing us through the narrow, dust-filled cavity just as the heavy oak door of the nursery finally gave way with a deafening splinter of wood.
Heavy footsteps echoed into the room, accompanied by Julian’s harsh voice: “Clear the room! Find the child!”
Lorenzo pulled a heavy steel lever inside the tunnel, dropping a solid iron fire-barrier across the opening just as a hail of gunfire chewed through the drywall where we had been standing a second before.
We stumbled down a steep flight of stone steps into the subterranean basement beneath the mansion. The air smelled of damp earth, old wine casks, and hidden history.
“Can you walk?” Lorenzo asked, his breathing heavy as he kept one hand on his weapon, scanning the shadows.
“Yes,” I whispered, clutching Leo tightly against my chest. The baby had fallen back into a shallow, exhausted sleep, his breathing steady. “Where does this lead?”
“To the old pier on the lake,” Lorenzo said, leading the way through the labyrinth of stone corridors. “Julian thinks he has won. He thinks cutting off the communications and purging the air will leave no witnesses. He doesn't realize that my primary security servers aren't housed in the mansion—they’re wired directly to an off-site federal vault that alerts my personal loyalists the moment an auxiliary gas valve is opened.”
As if on cue, a deep, rumbling vibration shook the foundations of the estate above us.
May you like
Far overhead, the distinct sound of heavy diesel engines tearing down the long gravel driveway echoed through the stone walls.
“My men,” Lorenzo muttered, a grim, satisfied smile touching his lips. “Julian just walked right into his own trap.”
