Chapter 5 - The Underground Escape
The intense heat from the thermite charge instantly turned the steel door bright orange.
I fired three blind shots at the melting metal to force Dante's men to take cover.
I threw myself into the dark shaft, pulling the heavy iron grate back into place just as the door completely gave way.
We scrambled down the rusty metal ladder, descending deep beneath the foundation of the estate.
The air grew damp and freezing, smelling strongly of old water and decaying concrete.
Grace flicked on a small tactical flashlight, guiding the girls through the knee-deep water of the drainage tunnel.
I took the rear, constantly checking over my shoulder for any sign of pursuit.
My shoulder slammed against a concrete pillar, violently tearing open an old bullet wound I had received last week.
Warm blood immediately soaked through my expensive shirt, but I gritted my teeth and kept moving.
We walked for nearly an hour through the labyrinth of the underground sewer system.
Olivia and Sophie bravely held hands, navigating the terrifying darkness without making a single sound.
We finally reached a heavy iron access door that led up to a desolate industrial park near the river.
I pushed the door open, leading my family out into the freezing night air.
The streets were completely empty, illuminated only by a few flickering streetlights.
Grace told me that she had arranged a secure extraction vehicle to meet us here.
A sleek, black armored SUV suddenly tore around the corner, its headlights blinding us.
The vehicle slammed on its brakes, stopping just a few feet away from where we stood.
I raised my gun, fully prepared to die defending my daughters if it was a trap.
The heavily tinted window slowly rolled down.
Sitting in the driver's seat was my father, Carlo Romano.
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He looked at me with a cold, disappointed glare.
This was entirely impossible, because I had buried my father in a closed casket five years ago.
