Chapter 7 - The Distraction
Dominic froze in place, the unmistakable sound of a chambering rifle freezing the blood in his veins.
He slowly turned his head, expecting to see a new squad of heavily armed mercenaries blocking their only escape route.
Instead, he saw Vincent leaning heavily against the hallway wall, clutching a stolen rifle with bloody, shaking hands.
Vincent’s face was deathly pale, and a dark red stain was spreading rapidly across his ruined white shirt.
He had somehow survived the kitchen ambush and dragged himself all the way to the basement entrance to find his boss.
Vincent did not hesitate for a single second as he aimed the rifle over Dominic’s shoulder and pulled the trigger.
A deafening burst of automatic gunfire tore through the air, striking the two recovering guards on the cellar stairs.
The guards collapsed backward into the darkness of the cellar, tumbling down the wooden steps in a tangle of limbs.
Marcus, who had just managed to push himself up from the floor, stared at Vincent in wide-eyed horror.
Before Marcus could reach for his backup weapon, Vincent coldly fired a single shot into the traitor's chest.
Marcus slumped against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, his eyes completely devoid of life.
Vincent lowered the smoking rifle, his breathing shallow and incredibly ragged as he fought to stay conscious.
Dominic rushed forward and caught his best friend just as Vincent's bloody knees finally buckled beneath him.
He praised Vincent for his perfect timing, helping the massive man stand upright despite the terrible injuries.
Vincent coughed up blood and managed a weak smile, stating that he wasn't about to miss the main event.
Dominic looked back at Clare, ordering her to help him support Vincent's heavy weight as they moved.
They slowly descended the wooden stairs into the dark, incredibly humid atmosphere of the sprawling wine cellar.
The cellar was a massive, subterranean labyrinth filled with thousands of expensive bottles and heavy oak barrels.
They navigated the narrow, winding aisles, the distant sound of explosions rattling the bottles on their wooden racks.
The time bombs planted on the main floor were getting dangerously close to their synchronized detonation time.
They reached the far end of the cellar, where a massive, solid steel door was built directly into the concrete foundation.
This was the entrance to the fortified panic room, designed to withstand a direct hit from a military airstrike.
Dominic quickly punched his secret eight-digit access code into the glowing electronic keypad beside the door.
The keypad beeped angrily and flashed a bright, warning red light, indicating that the access code was completely invalid.
Dominic cursed under his breath, realizing that Marcus must have wiped the security system's memory before the assault.
They were entirely locked out of their only safe haven, trapped in a basement filled with explosive charges above them.
Vincent slumped against the steel door, his eyes fluttering shut as he whispered that it had been an honor serving him.
Clare began to cry again, holding Ellie tightly as the sounds of heavy combat boots echoed from the top of the stairs.
More mercenaries had heard the gunfire and were rapidly descending into the cellar to finish the job.
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Ellie wiggled out of her mother's grasp and walked right up to the heavy, broken electronic keypad.
She completely ignored the flashing red light and reached her small hands underneath the heavy metal housing.
