Chapter 4 - The Crumbling Empire
Dominic did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He kicked Vincent’s body backward into the hallway and slammed the vault door shut.
He spun the heavy locking wheel just as a massive explosion rocked the foundation.
The shockwave threw Dominic across the panic room, slamming him against the concrete wall.
The reinforced steel door buckled inward but miraculously held its frame.
Thick dust fell from the ceiling as the emergency red lights flickered to life.
Hannah screamed in the darkness, clutching Grace tightly to her chest.
Dominic groaned, tasting copper as he forced himself to stand up.
"Is everyone hurt?" Dominic coughed, waving the dust away from his face.
"We are okay," Hannah replied, her voice trembling violently.
Grace let out a confused whimper, rubbing her small fists against her eyes.
Dominic walked over to the security terminal mounted on the wall.
The screens were completely black.
The explosion had severed the hardlines connecting the bunker to the outside cameras.
"We are completely blind," Dominic muttered in frustration.
He checked the air filtration gauge on the wall and cursed under his breath.
The blast had damaged the external intake vents.
They had enough oxygen for maybe four hours before the air became toxic.
"What do we do now?" Hannah asked, sitting on a cot and rocking the baby.
"We wait for my loyal men to dig us out," Dominic answered.
"But what if the traitor is the one who finds us first?" she asked.
Dominic had no answer for that terrifying possibility.
He began pacing the room, analyzing every piece of the puzzle.
"Julian said the Morettis found out about Grace today," Dominic noted.
"Who did you speak to this morning before coming to my office?"
Hannah thought for a moment, wiping soot from her forehead.
"I only spoke to the kitchen staff and your private attorney, Mr. Sterling."
Dominic stopped pacing immediately.
"Sterling? Why were you speaking to my lawyer?" Dominic demanded.
"He stopped me in the hallway and asked why I looked so nervous," she explained.
"Did you tell him about the baby?" Dominic pressed, his tone growing darker.
"No, I swear," Hannah cried, sensing his rising anger.
"But he did notice the diaper bag I had hidden under my cleaning cart."
Dominic closed his eyes as a wave of fury washed over him.
Arthur Sterling had been the Caruso family lawyer for a decade.
He knew every password, every bank account, and every weakness in the organization.
Suddenly, the dead security monitor on the wall flickered with static.
A video feed appeared, showing Arthur Sterling standing in the ruined hallway outside their vault.
Sterling smiled directly into the camera, holding a detonator in his hand.
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"I hope you are comfortable in there, Dominic," the lawyer sneered.
"Because if you don't open this door in ten seconds, I will gas the room."
