Chapter 3 - The Enemy Within
The silence in the tunnel felt heavier than the stone walls around us.
"Someone inside your own house tried to kill you?" I asked, feeling a cold sweat break out on my neck.
"It appears that way," Luca replied, pocketing the bullet.
He led me deeper into the tunnel until we reached a steel security door.
He punched in a code, and the heavy door hissed open to reveal a state-of-the-art panic room.
The contrast between the medieval tunnel and the glowing computer screens inside was jarring.
"We will stay here until morning," Luca said, locking the vault door behind us.
I sat down on a leather couch, suddenly exhausted by the adrenaline crash.
"I usually bake when I am stressed," I babbled, staring at my hands.
"I am sorry I cannot offer you a kitchen," he said, taking a seat across from me.
He looked at me intently, as if trying to solve a very complicated puzzle.
"You did not scream," he noted.
"I was too busy trying not to trip over my own feet," I admitted, offering a weak smile.
The corner of his mouth twitched again, a genuine hint of amusement breaking through his dark mood.
We spent the night in a strange, tense silence, sleeping in shifts.
When morning finally came, Luca checked the security feeds and deemed it safe to exit.
The estate was crawling with heavily armed men by the time we returned to the main house.
Luca ordered a complete lockdown and began interrogating his men one by one.
Needing a distraction, I wandered into the massive industrial kitchen.
Marco, the head of security, was standing near the pantry.
He jumped slightly when I entered, his hand hastily shoving something into his jacket pocket.
"Just getting some water, Mrs. Moretti," Marco said, his smile failing to reach his eyes.
May you like
"Of course," I replied, pretending not to notice his nervous energy.
But as he walked past me, a small, unmarked glass vial slipped out of his pocket and shattered on the floor.
