Chapter 7 - Descent into the Subterranean-7-
I didn't argue. The cold, lethal certainty in Alessandro’s voice left no room for debate. Scooping Emma into my arms—along with Mr. Rabbit, who was clutched fiercely in her small fist—I bolted from the dining room through the service exit just as the heavy front oak doors of the mansion echoed with the sound of splintering wood and shouted commands.
The service hallway was dim, illuminated only by emergency red pathway lights. My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird. Behind me, muffled by thick walls and heavy oak doors, I heard the sharp, terrifying crack of a gunshot.
"Mama, loud," Emma whimpered, burying her face in my shoulder.
"It’s okay, baby, it’s just thunder, we're going on an adventure," I lied, my voice shaking so badly I barely recognized it.
I reached the pantry, located the disguised wood-paneled door Alessandro had described, and shoved it open. Inside was a cramped, utilitarian elevator shaft lit by a single flickering bulb. I hit the down button, praying the power wouldn't fail. The cable groaned, and then the metal box lurched downward, sinking deep beneath the foundations of the Moretti estate.
When the doors slid open, the air smelled of exhaust fumes, damp concrete, and engine oil. The subterranean garage was vast, carved directly out of the bedrock beneath the Lake Forest property. Several high-end vehicles sat parked under fluorescent lights, and standing beside a heavy black SUV was a burly man in a dark trench coat, smoking a cigarette.
"Are you Sarah?" the man asked, his voice gravelly as he tossed the cigarette onto the concrete and crushed it with his boot.
"Yes! Mr. Moretti said—"
"I know what the boss said," Leo interrupted, opening the rear door of the armored vehicle. "Get in. Fast. Julian brought a clean-up crew with him. If they breach the upper security grid, this garage will be the first place they lock down."
I bundled Emma into the back seat, strapping her frantically into the child safety seat that had miraculously been installed ahead of time. I climbed in beside her, pulling the heavy armored door shut with a solid, reassuring thud.
Leo slid into the driver’s seat, his hands flying across the dashboard as he deactivated the vehicle's tracking inhibitors and started the heavy-duty engine. The SUV roared to life, its armored chassis vibrating with raw power.
"Are we going to be safe, Leo?" I asked, leaning forward through the gap in the front seats.
May you like
Leo glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his expression grim. "The boss doesn't make mistakes, Ms. Miller. If he told you to leave, it means the house is about to get very loud."
As Leo shifted into drive and the SUV accelerated toward the massive concrete exit tunnel, a dull, concussive boom echoed from somewhere far above us—shaking dust and loose pebbles from the garage ceiling. The war for the Moretti empire had officially begun, and we were running right into the eye of the storm.
