Chapter 4 - The Dark Descent
Vincent shoved Dominic hard into the wall just as a suppressed bullet shattered the antique vase behind them.
Dominic returned fire instantly, shooting blindly into the dark hallway.
A heavy grunt confirmed he had hit one of the advancing attackers.
Vincent grabbed Alina's hand and pulled her toward the secret servant staircase.
Mia whimpered softly, but Alina quickly covered the child's mouth to keep her quiet.
They descended rapidly into the cold, damp basement level of the mansion.
The air smelled faintly of aged wine and old dust.
Dominic took the rear, covering their retreat with precise, controlled bursts of gunfire.
They reached the heavy steel door of the subterranean panic room.
Vincent punched a complex code into the battery-powered digital keypad.
The light flashed angry red.
The keypad displayed a terrifying message stating that the system had been remotely overridden.
Someone had locked the panic room from the main security terminal upstairs.
They were completely exposed in a dead-end hallway.
Alina felt a tear slide down her cheek as she hugged Mia tighter.
She whispered a desperate apology to her daughter for bringing her into this nightmare.
Vincent promised her that they were not going to die in this basement.
He pulled a hidden tactical knife from his boot.
He knew there was an old maintenance tunnel hidden behind the wine racks.
Before they could move toward it, the lights in the basement suddenly flickered on.
Three men in full tactical gear stood at the top of the stairs, aiming assault rifles down at them.
The lead mercenary slowly removed his black mask.
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Vincent felt the blood completely freeze in his veins.
The man leading the hit squad was his own younger brother.
