Chapter 6 - The Hidden Agenda
Adeline's ears rang violently as she desperately pushed heavy, burning wooden debris off her aching chest.
The historic library was in absolute ruins, with ancient books burning brightly around them like terrifying campfires.
Enzo lay perfectly still beside her, unconscious and bleeding heavily from a nasty shrapnel wound in his right shoulder.
"You have to wake up right now, Enzo," she urged, pressing both of her hands hard against his pulsing wound.
He groaned in agony, his dark eyes fluttering open to look at the burning, collapsing ceiling.
"You should have just let the blast kill me," he coughed, tasting metallic blood on his lips.
"My strict employers explicitly do not pay me for unauthorized collateral damage," she lied through her teeth.
In absolute truth, she had never met a man in this ruthless underworld who would genuinely sacrifice himself for a stranger.
She quickly ripped a long strip of fabric from her torn maid uniform and tied a tight tourniquet around his bleeding arm.
"We need to move immediately because the Ashfords will sweep this room for survivors," she commanded with military authority.
Enzo nodded weakly, leaning heavily on her small shoulder as they staggered toward a secret door hidden behind the grand fireplace.
They descended slowly into the cold, damp smuggling tunnels that ran incredibly deep beneath the sprawling estate.
The heavy stone door mechanically sealed shut just as heavy combat boots stormed into the burning library above them.
They sat in total darkness for a moment, the only illumination coming from Adeline's small tactical flashlight.
Enzo looked at her intently, his sharp mind finally connecting all the subtle, lingering clues.
"The European syndicate sent you here to end my life," Enzo stated quietly into the dark.
Adeline froze in place, the beam of her flashlight trembling slightly in her dirty hand.
May you like
"I recognized your unique combat stance the second you shot those men upstairs," Enzo continued, pulling a hidden throwing knife from his boot.
He lunged forward despite his severe injuries and pressed the cold, sharp steel directly against her throat.
