Chapter 5 - The Gathering Storm
The hours inside the panic room felt like days. I sat on the floor next to Lila’s cot, my knees pulled to my chest, staring at the digital clock on the wall.
3:14 AM.
The silence was deafening. I tried to focus on the rhythmic sound of Lila’s breathing, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lorenzo’s face, the blood on his shirt, the terrifying finality in his dark eyes before he walked out.
Suddenly, the red emergency light above the door began to flash. The intercom crackled to life, but it wasn't Lorenzo’s voice. It was a harsh, scraping laugh that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
"Miss Vance," the voice of Victor Marcone echoed through the steel walls. "Or do you prefer Maya? Lorenzo is a very brave man, but unfortunately, bravery doesn't stop a dozen men with automatic weapons. He’s currently bleeding out on the floor of my shipping facility."
I stood up instantly, my body going completely rigid. "Where is he?"
"Oh, he’s right here. Still breathing, barely. He keeps muttering your name, you know. Quite pathetic for the great Bellandi Don," Marcone sneered. "I know you’re in the bunker. I know the codes to the mansion are being overridden as we speak. I’m offering you a choice, girl. Open the panic room doors, hand over the little Bellandi heir, and I’ll let you walk away to see your sick mother. Refuse, and we use the thermite charges. Everyone inside dies anyway."
Lila woke up, whimpering, scrambling out of her bed to clutch at my skirt. "Maya? What's happening? Where's Daddy?"
"Shh, little bird, stay behind me," I whispered, my mind racing.
I looked around the panic room. It was built to withstand an army, but if they had thermite, the air inside would turn into a furnace within minutes. I looked at the emergency console. There was a red switch under a glass casing labeled: Estate Flood System—Emergency Cove Intake.
Lorenzo had told me about it. The mansion was built directly above the ocean caves. In case of a catastrophic breach, the lower levels could be flooded with sea water to create an impassable barrier against attackers.
But it required someone to manually activate the main valve from the secondary generator room outside the bunker—in the flooded lower hallway.
"Marcone!" I yelled into the intercom. "I’m opening the doors. Give me three minutes to get the girl ready. She’s terrified."
"Smart girl," Marcone chuckled. "Three minutes."
I turned to Lila, kneeling in front of her. "Lila, listen to me very carefully. Do you remember the game we played? The breathing game? Where you pretend you’re a little fish under the water?"
Lila nodded, her eyes wide with terror, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, Maya."
"I need you to climb into the top storage cabinet. It’s airtight and waterproof. It has oxygen for twelve hours. You stay inside, you don't make a sound, no matter what you hear. Do you trust me?"
"I trust you, Maya," she whispered, her little chin trembling.
I helped her up into the reinforced upper cabinet, sealing the latch from the outside. She was safe.
Then, I grabbed a heavy iron fire extinguisher from the wall, took a deep breath, and hit the door release switch. The heavy steel doors slid open, revealing the dark, shadowy corridor of the basement. Two of Marcone’s men were already standing there, their rifles raised.
May you like
"Where's the kid?" one of them barked.
I didn't answer. I swung the fire extinguisher with every ounce of strength I had, catching the first man squarely in the jaw. As he collapsed, I dove past the second man, sprinting down the dark, concrete hallway toward the generator room, the sound of gunfire echoing right behind me.
