Chapter 6 - The Safehouse
Total, suffocating darkness swallowed the underground bunker instantly.
I let out a sharp gasp, instinctively grabbing Luca's strong arm in the pitch-black kitchen.
"Stay exactly where you are, Nia," Luca whispered, his voice completely calm despite the sudden terror of the situation.
I heard the distinct, metallic click of his weapon being quickly armed and readied in the dark.
The emergency red backup lights flickered on a moment later, casting a bloody, eerie glow across the massive concrete walls.
"Someone on the inside completely bypassed the mainframe," Luca muttered, his jaw clenched in absolute fury.
He grabbed a heavy tactical flashlight from a hidden drawer and handed it directly to me.
"Go to the children's room right now, lock the heavy steel door from the inside, and absolutely do not open it for anyone but me."
I nodded silently, sprinting down the long, red-lit corridor toward the room where my innocent babies were sleeping.
Just as I reached the heavy door, a massive, deafening explosion rocked the entire underground facility.
Dust and debris rained down from the concrete ceiling as the primary blast doors were violently blown off their hinges.
Six heavily armed mercenaries wearing dark tactical gear poured into the main living area, sweeping the room with laser sights.
I shoved myself into the bedroom, slamming the thick steel door shut and throwing the heavy locking mechanism into place.
Leo and Mia woke up crying, completely terrified by the loud noises and the flashing red emergency lights.
I pulled them underneath the heavy reinforced bed, covering their small ears with my trembling hands.
Outside the heavy door, the chaotic, terrifying sounds of brutal close-quarters combat echoed loudly.
Gunfire erupted in short, controlled bursts, followed by the sickening sounds of bodies hitting the concrete floor.
I prayed to every single god listening that Luca was somehow surviving the massive, overwhelming ambush.
After ten agonizing minutes, the violent gunfire finally ceased entirely, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in its wake.
I held my breath, waiting desperately for the sound of Luca's familiar voice.
Instead, heavy, methodical footsteps slowly approached the steel door of our hiding place.
Someone violently jiggled the metal handle, trying to force the locked door open.
I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing to fight to the absolute death for my children.
"Nia, it is me, open the door," Luca's exhausted, ragged voice called out from the other side.
I scrambled out from under the bed and threw the heavy lock open, pulling him instantly into the room.
Luca was covered in dust and bleeding from a deep cut on his forehead, but his eyes were burning with victorious fire.
"I neutralized five of them, and I kept the team leader alive for a very aggressive interrogation," Luca breathed heavily.
He walked me back out to the main room, where a bleeding mercenary was securely zip-tied to a heavy steel chair.
"Tell her exactly what you just told me," Luca demanded, pressing the barrel of his weapon against the man's knee.
The mercenary coughed violently, spitting a mixture of blood and dust onto the expensive floor.
"Marcus Shaw didn't hire us to breach this bunker," the mercenary gasped weakly.
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He looked up at me with terrified, wide eyes.
"We were hired exclusively by Evelyn, and her direct orders were to kill the children first."
