Chapter 7 - The Loyal Guard
Dante stood in the doorway, chest heaving and covered in grime.
He reached down and hauled me up, then quickly grabbed the boys before they slipped into the grate.
Elena scrambled up the tilted floor, gasping for breath as she collapsed beside us in the hallway.
I looked at Dante, completely stunned that he had survived the blast and tracked us down here.
I asked him how he found us in the abandoned subway tunnels.
Dante wiped the sweat from his forehead and revealed a small tracking device hidden in his watch.
He explained that Sofia had secretly given it to him years ago, telling him to only use it if her sons were ever in danger.
I realized Sofia had trusted my loyal guard more than she had trusted me.
Dante didn't ask questions about the identical boys or the rogue agents lying dead on the platform.
He simply said we needed to move before the agency sent reinforcements.
He led us through a labyrinth of service tunnels, guiding us away from the main subway lines.
He explained that he had parked an armored transport van a few blocks away, near an old warehouse district.
We moved quickly and quietly, the boys clinging to Elena and me in terrified silence.
My shoulder throbbed with every step, but the adrenaline kept me focused on protecting the children.
We finally reached a heavy iron door that led up to an alleyway on the surface.
Dante slowly pushed the door open, checking the street for any signs of cartel or agency activity.
The alley was deserted, the only sound the distant wail of sirens.
We scrambled out into the cold night air and hurried toward the waiting transport van.
Dante unlocked the heavy doors and ushered the boys into the back.
I turned to thank him for saving our lives, but he raised a hand to stop me.
He looked at me with a mixture of loyalty and deep sorrow.
He confessed that he hadn't just come down here to save us.
He had come to tell me that Victor Silva had survived the explosion at the mansion.
And worse, Victor had taken something far more valuable than the clones.
Dante revealed that Victor had found a hidden vault beneath the east wing.
The vault contained the original genetic material Sofia had stolen from the lab.
Victor now had everything he needed to restart the cloning program.
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Before I could react to the devastating news, a bright spotlight suddenly illuminated the alleyway.
A police helicopter hovered above us, its loudspeaker demanding we surrender immediately.
