Chapter 5 - The Childhood Home
The iron gates of my childhood home stood tall and rusted in the moonlight.
Dante did not bother stopping to unlock them.
He drove the massive armored SUV directly through the heavy iron bars.
The gates crashed to the ground with a deafening metallic screech.
We skidded to a halt in front of the grand marble steps of the mansion.
Dante handed me a cold, heavy pistol from the glove compartment.
"Keep the safety off and stay exactly one step behind me," he ordered.
I gripped the gun with both hands, my maternal instinct overriding all my fear.
We kicked the front doors open and stepped into the grand foyer.
The house was completely dark and smelled of dust and old memories.
Dante moved with lethal precision, clearing the living room and the dining room in seconds.
We reached the grand staircase leading to the second floor.
A single light was glowing from beneath the door of my old childhood bedroom.
We climbed the stairs silently, our shadows stretching across the vintage wallpaper.
Dante positioned himself beside the wooden door and nodded at me.
I kicked the door open and raised my weapon.
The room was exactly as I had left it eight years ago.
Sitting on my childhood bed was Mia, bound with thick duct tape and gagged with a cloth.
Tears streamed down her bruised face as she looked at us in pure terror.
Leo was nowhere in the room.
Dante quickly ripped the tape from Mia's mouth.
"Where is my son?" I screamed at her.
"She lied to me," Mia gasped, coughing violently.
"She took him to the basement vaults."
Dante's face drained of all color.
"The vaults are soundproof and airtight," Dante said in a panic.
"If she locks the main door, he will suffocate in less than an hour."
We sprinted back out to the hallway toward the basement stairs.
But as soon as we reached the top of the staircase, the lights suddenly flickered and died.
A heavy metal gate slammed shut at the bottom of the stairs, completely trapping us on the second floor.
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Victoria's voice echoed through the mansion's intercom system.
"You really are too predictable, Dante."
